TEST RIDES: CX vs. HT vs. FS
25.03.2009
Uncategorized
It is finally dumping snow in the mountains today. Good thing for the mountains, not so good for me since I was planning to get my Nordic on today with some skate skiing. I’ll take the snow right now as we need it bad. Down here in Denver it was dry but chilly and windy with the front heading our way for tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get some snow out of it as well. Can you believe I am saying that? I can’t. But we need it.
In replace of the skiing I hit the trails near my house at Green Mountain for some riding on the new bikes. There is a fun 45 minute singletrack loop that has it all: smooth fast sections, rocky sections, power climbs, sustained climbs, descents, and it’s all fun. I decided I would hit the loop three times on three different bikes and see how times compared. In between each loop I would stop at my house, switch bikes, use the restroom, guzzle some water and eat an energy bar.
I started on the cross bike (I got some new No Tubes 29′er wheels for it that I can run tubeless cx tires, sweet!). I love my custom Serotta cross-bike I had it made last winter. It is so fun to free-road it all over the front range linking together trails and roads for epic adventures. Riding a CX bike on singletrack improves your bike handling skills like you wouldn’t believe! You learn how to pick a smooth line and maintain controlled speed by flowing with the trail rather than smashing through everything in your way. I rolled my loop in 44:30. The tubeless tire set-up was killer. 34 psi on 35c knobbies with 1450 gram wheels was a treat.
Next up was the ARC hardtail. Bigger tires, lower pressure, front suspension and a more compact upright position increased speeds on the downhills and rocky sections right away. I rolled the second loop in 43:30.
Last up was the ASR Carbon. Same tires, pressure, and position with the added comfort or rear suspension. The bike seemed to climb well, handle well and as expected descend the rough stuff well. My third lap came in at 42:30.
Now this was by no means a scientific test. I did my best to go by feel and keep effort levels similar. However without a powermeter or even an HRM today it was all pretty unscientific. Still interesting to take note. Each bike was about 1 pound heavier than the preceding, 17.5 cx, 18.5 ARC, 19.7 ASR, and 1 minute faster. Starting out on the first lap I’m sure I needed some time to warm-up, and the second half of the third lap I was getting hungry. Regardless it was a fun test. All three bikes rode great. I will have to attempt some more formal testing between the ARC and ASR in the future to see which bike really climbs faster, descends faster, and feels faster so I know which bike to choose for what race.
Okay, after eating some lunch, taking a bit of rest and catching up on some work, I’m off to the gym for some strength training. High reps are on the schedule today. Then I’ll be ready for dinner!
Post Ride Lunch: Breakfast Tacos. (scrambled eggs, jack cheese, diced potatoes, red peppers, avocado, hot sauce on three open faced corn tortillas)
CW