Components that are reliable on the Shore

This is the list of the components that worked very well for me in wet/dry conditions on the North Shore.

"Worked well" is defined as having survived at least a year of riding

1. Chromag OSX bar
2. X7, X9 rear derailleurs
3. Gravity dropper turbo LP (6 months and going strong)
4. SLX double crank with a Bash
5. ODI Troy Lee grips
6. Hope Pro 2 Evo Front hub 
7. Mavic 719 rim
8. WTB Pure-V saddle
9. 5.10 Approach shoes -very durable for flat pedal use
10. Deity Decoy pedals- very very good for the wet Shore

SECTOR RL FORK 26"

Just installed SECTOR RL 26" fork by Rock Shox.

Tip: Always check oil in the lowers and the damper before using a new fork.
This particular fork had only 3 drops of oil in both lowers combined! (15w oil)
Foam rings were dry!
In the damper there were 100cc of suspension oil (5w oil) vs advertized 125.
125 cc did not fit in the damper, very strange! Nowhere for a Sector fork the damper volume is advertized in 100cc.


Moral: always check fluids in your new fork before using it. You may be surprised!

Cassette "surprise" meaning replace chain relpace cassette

In 90% of my riding I use the second biggest ring on my rear cassette.
As the chain wore out I obliged, payed $35 and bought a replacement.
With a new chain installed I went for a ride and the "teeth" slipped under load, very very annoying.
I spent some time tweaking shifting tension, shifting is great!
Key idea: I tried to climb using a different ring on the rear cassette, no skipping!

After 30 min of troubleshooting it occurred to me that I may have worn just one ring, the one that I use all the time on Bridal Path.

I stopped blaming rear derailleur, derailleur hanger, cage alignment (the potential absence of thereof) who knows what else... It is possible to destroy one single ring in a multi-speed cassette, what a bummer!

Reducing the height of the drop by getting small and extending legs

I found this picture on pink bike . What does it illustrate?
If you watch the amazing DVD created by Simon from "Fluid Ride", you will notice:

• getting small before the drop and with the subsequent leg extension erasing the height of the drop by quite a bit
• subsequent leg extension from being very small allows you to dictate bike placement on landing and not just sitting on top of it as an ejection seat
• basic technique: correct timing, hips back creating pressure on the palms of the hands preventing front wheel dipping
• linear helmet travel on the diagonal as per "racer style" explanation by Simon

Cornering (twist those hips, screw into the bike)

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!



Great Reference on cornering: TWIST THOSE HIPS, SCREW INTO THE BIKE!
Hey coach series:
http://www.nsmb.com/5214-hey-coach-ep-1/

0. Brake before the turn
1.  Drill:  standing practice turning the bike on flat terrain by TWISTING THE HIPS (1:20 in the clip)
ADD Dynamic pedal idea in this drill
2. Turn with all three eyes (belly button is the third eye, imagine laser shooting from it, point with it!)
     (2:15 in the clip)
3.  Angulate the bike into the turn, not the body (2:28 in the clip)
4.  Go screw yourself into the bike (2:37 in the clip)
BATHE :
 Brake before the corner
 Angulate the bike, not the body
 Twist the hips (screw yourself into the bike in the direction of the turn)
 Hand (I adjusted this from the original: outside hand is so that the outside elbow is high)
 Explosive exit (I can't do it yet: put pressure with feet on suspension as you are unscrewing yourself: as you untwist towards the end [quote] "try pushing yourself up to neutral position with a powerful push through the heels of your feet. This should drive more traction but also generate some momentum and bring you to the neutral position quickly, ready for the next corner or trail challenge."

Upper Body

When descending I need to remember to keep upper body calm. Legs and arms should move, absorb the shock but upper body should not feel any storm. It should rest calmly balanced on four shock absorbers that humans have.

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

Vertical Manual Drops

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

Manual is done by me without pedaling and in two steps:
 1. Staying low preloading down suspension the last moment before the drop pushing down on the pedals
 2. Pushing with the front foot towards the hub of the front wheel (such motion will MOVE THE BIKE FORWARD UNDER YOU and as a consequence will shift your body  back extending forward arms and legs. Do not pull up on the handlebars, the leg force towards the front hub in this step will prevent the front part of the bike from dipping). KEEP THE FRONT HEEL BENT DOWN in this step!

 Start returning to the ready position while in the air so when landed you landed low in ready position and not shifted back.

Match the bike traveling in the air with the angle of the landing area (angled the same way to match)

Pedal several bike lengths before the manual maneuver area. COAST before, during and after doing the manual.
Speed will help doing the manual and will prevent dipping of the front wheel.

PRACTICE UNTIL YOU CAN DO IT AT A VERY LOW SPEED


Manual summary: don't pedal when you are about to manual, preload suspension pushing down, push with the front foot with the dropped heel towards the front hub of the bike. This will move the bike forward and you will naturally extend arms and legs and the rear part of the body will be moved back. Don't move your body back, let it happen as a result of pushing the pedals towards the hub of the front wheel.

Cornering- lean the bike into the corner- NOT your body

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

When cornering I try to do this:
Lean the bike into the corner
but DO NOT lean your body into the corner, keep it VERTICAL
Keep your body straight up.
What helps in achieving it:
PUT MOST WEIGHT on the OUTSIDE pedal and keep that OUTSIDE heal DOWN (lowered outside heal lowers your center of gravity and applies max pressure on the outer knobs of the tires)
Put OUTSIDE knee against the frame if needed
Keep OUTSIDE ELBOW HIGH (VERY IMPORTANT it helps keeping your body vertical, it is a good thing to use as a conscious mental check
LOOK to the corner exit point
USE Dynamic pedal idea

Another picture of the toughest climb on Bridal Path

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


This is the hardest climb for me.

I did it once using GRANNY gear up front and SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back ("my magic gear"). Seat post fully extended, climbing in sitting position.

"Magic gear" for climbing on Bridal Path

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

I discovered a gear combination that works practically for any kind of difficult Bridal Path terrain that requires any kind of climbing over obstacles.

It is GRANNY ring up front, SECOND BIGGEST gear in the back.

Here i one example of a little tricky rooty climb at the beginning of Suicide connector going East

Deceptively easy climb- Bridal Path going East

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


This small climb is tricky as it involves several small turns and one needs to calculate them so pedals don't hit the side roots and the log.

Successful for me gear combination: GRANNY and SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back. Did it is sitting position.

I used to do it with the MIDDLE ring and the BIGGEST ring in the back but it is less smooth and most likely I will need to stand. Too much available torque (the use of the MIDDLE ring up front) I find on such stretch is not necessarily good.

Climb going towards Golf course (East)- Bridal Path

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


It's all about gears!

I had hard time at the top of this climb turning right and going over some roots.

MIDDLE ring up front and BIGGEST in the back did not work well for me.

Successful gear combination: GRANNY and SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.

I tried to stay to the left as much as possible before turning right and going over the roots. It worked.

I was sitting while climbing this part.

Scariest stretch on Bridal Path

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

This is where I flew over handlebar and hit the hip pointer. Result: huge painful hematoma.

Descending and making a relatively sharp turn is still the biggest weakness. So I walk biting putting a lid on the ego. Ego has no hips that may hurt after all...

Toughest climb

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


If for the long time I can't climb a certain stretch, I am most likely use the wrong gears!

This is the steepest climb on Bridal Path that finally after many months I was able to do on Dec 31, 2011.

Some guy suggested this gear combination:

GRANNY up front and the SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.

I climbed it mostly sitting and to my biggest surprise I did it.

Until this attempt I was using the MIDDLE ring up front and the BIGGEST one in the back, no way it was doable!

Bridal Path Gears

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

So far I have been using the following gear combinations on Bridal Path, Seymour, N. Vancouver:

1. Golf Course parking lot-> Horse Loop until the "T" intersection by the fence (before the uphill section)- GRANNY and BIGGEST RING in the back.

2. For the remaining sections (with some exceptions) -MIDDLE ring up front, THE BIGGEST ring in the back.

3. For "step-like" obstacles MIDDLE ring up front, THE SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.

4. Very steep section going East not far from the "T" on the Hyannis side (I will post a separate post with the picture) GRANNY ring up front, THE SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back. I tried to climb while sitting.

5. I will try to post pictures with "tricky" sections and the gears used.

Remember the pedals!

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


See more than "beating" an obstacle!

Today I was so focussed making it over a log or a root patch that I would lose awareness of what my pedals were up to. And they were hitting many things that they encountered (mainly nice rocks already scratched by other riders).

I call it riding in sync (thank you Assassin's Creed for inspiration with the term). Will your pedals hit something when you are laboring over an obstacle or on its approach to it or not? That is the question! Sometimes ratcheting back is a great way to avoid being "out of synch"

Pinky toe and sticking roots

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


Protect your pinky toe!

I was pedalling uphill and somehow my shoe got caught under the protruding obstacle. I had no idea that I could have a huge hematoma on my pinky toe because of this.

When you are so focused on the big goal while pedalling (to make it through a tough section) don't forget about little nasty "pocket-like" obstacles that are often visible only in your peripheral vision. Try to keep track of everything that protrudes less than 90 degrees on the SIDES of the trail and can catch the pedal and the front part of your shoe. It will hurt!

Riding in the rain

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

I rode today in wet rainy weather. And last time too and next time as well...
I can't even think what it would be like without the following things that are crucial for riding in wet conditions for me:

• Tubeless converted tires (Stan's rimstrips and sealant)
• 28 or so PSI tire pressure (I am 240 lb)
• March 4, 2012 correction: I ride with 20-22 PSI now
• Maxxis Minion EXO DHF 2.5 (both front and back)

Practically no side-slipping on wet roots! Very predictable lines and riding.

December 31, 2011 update:

I find myself riding with 20-22 PSI now as 28 seems way too much for such conditions. I even deflated the tires a bit to achieve the lowest possible pressure without hitting the rim.