Monday, July 02, 2012

Some Equipment Notes

Without much other than Buck Hill for racing the past couple weeks (IMO the best way to stay fit or get fit are mid week races), I figured I should update on a few equipment things.
Oh, I should mention that I skipped my second planned gravel road race of the year (first being Ragnarok), Lutsen 99er.  After Red Wing I wasn't up for any more mud, and I guess I was not alone, as I don't see anyone that finished the Red Wing Elite race in the Lutsen results!

Ok, equipment:
1.  I got a hold of a new Shadow Plus Shimano Rear Derailleur.  The thing is ridiculously awesome.  Remember that debacle in Red Wing a couple weeks ago?  Yeah, I had no chain suck or shifting issues in that muck.  Besides keeping the drivetrain silent, it is a little known fact that the shadow plus eliminates chain suck!  All manf will be putting a clutch like this on the rear derr's in the near future...or they will be left behind.
2.  As things dry out (and get dusty), I am falling more in love with the Bontrager XR1 tire.  I have that on the front and a XR0 on the rear now.  I raced it at buck last week and am going to keep it that way for a while.
3.  For grips this year, I am doing 1 layer of bar tape over the ESI silicon grips.  This is holding its shape over time better than 2 layers of tape.  If you like a bigger soft grip, try this.
4.  The Rock Shox SID continues to impress me.  It is definitely the best fork I have ridden from a stiffness and adjustability perspective.  I don't have the remote version so I can simply set the platform to match my rear platform.  That way I can concentrate on pedaling during a race rather than messing around w/ lockouts.

In other news, I blew myself apart yesterday.  I like the heat, but it still takes it's toll when I can't convince myself to pedal slower....

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