RSL Initial Impressions

The weather was pretty uncooperative last week, but I did get 2 brief rides in on the RSL.  With that time interval in mind I'll offer my thoughts so far.

First and foremost the bike fits really well, albeit slightly differently than I had anticipated.  I was between the 19" and 20" for the RSL.  My benchmark YBB is a 20" has a 24.25 top tube, and that is just about as big as I can handle.  On paper the 19" RSL has the same dimensions with an 80 mm fork.  I opted for the 100 mm travel setting on my Reba and the additional front end height has made the effective top tube length a little shorter. 

As soon as I got on the bike I was impressed with how stable and snappy it is.  The bike tracks well and goes where I point it- something that can't be said of all 29ers I've ridden recently.  Even at the 100 mm travel setting the bike felt stable and composed yet responsive enough for me to stay on track.

Although still a hardtail, the titanium frame and seatpost go a long way to passively absorb vibration.  The ti frame coupled with the 29" wheels enable the RSL to roll over trail irregularities like a short travel 26" wheeled bike without the rear wheel deflection.  The updated and more shapely tubeset helps to keep the bike stiff laterally- noticeably stiffer than my YBB in fact. 


More than anything I would say that the RSL has ensured titanium's relevance in the off road racing world.  It handled every bit as well as the carbon 29ers I've ridden with a comparable weight and a much smoother ride.  

This week I plan to get some more time on this bike including Wednesday Worlds at Catamount.  I'm interested to see how it handles familiar terrain at race pace and whether or not it has any impact on my performance.  

Most likely I'll finish in the same place, but it's fun to try out new gear.

Moots Mooto-X RSL 29er

RSL Update- Build Complete!

I've completed the build on the Moots Mooto X RSL.  The plan is to ride it this weekend, and I'll post pictures of it shortly. 

Total weight complete with pedals is 22.6 lbs.

The Plan

 

This is my 2011 season plan.  It includes the buildup to my endurance races this summer: Pat's Peak, the Dark Horse 40, Hampshire 100 and Land Mine Classic.  

Can't read it?  That's the point.  I don't want anyone knowing my semi-secret training program, I just want you to know that I have a training program.  

Saturday is going to be a mountain bike ride at tempo effort for about 2.5-3 hours.  Sunday is going to be a long steady endurance ride in the 5 hour range.  I'll be riding in some semi-familiar terrain in Southern Vermont on Sunday so that will be a nice change of scenery.  

Unfortunately my new camera won't arrive before the weekend so there won't be any photo essay ride reports just yet, but I will be riding, and I hope you will, too.

Tonight is the first Wednesday Night Worlds at Catamount of 2011.  My form has been good over the last few months, and I'm feeling pretty lean so I'm hoping that will translate into a positive result.  The first race of the season is always brutally hard, so I just need to remind myself that it's going to hurt a lot and I need to pace myself if I'm going to finish.  And the goal is to finish, then worry about results.  

Ned Overend said that if you finish a race your legs will hurt for a few days, but if you pull out your head will hurt weeks.  Simple words, but true nonetheless.  

The next step in the plan is to follow's Ned's advice, and finish tonight's race. 

The Lair

 

This was really dumb, but I'm really proud of it.  

Over the weekend I put one of my Pro-35 decals on the door to the basement.  Nobody ever sees the basement door because it's below grade and under the metal bulkhead doors, but I felt compelled to do it.

As you can see the door is in rough shape.  Although it's structurally sound it could use a coat of paint and some new caulk around the window panes.  I'll get to those tasks, but it was easier to just put a sticker on it in the short term.

Is this one of those things that really matters?  Absolutely not.  Somehow it still makes me smile every time I see it on my way in or out for a ride.   

I think it boils down to a sense of pride.  Pro-35 is open for business.

Absalon, Part 3

In a country full of roadies how do you get to be the best mountain biker of your generation?  I'm not sure, but Julien Absalon could tell you, and I'm sure he spent a lot of time training on the road to get there.  Case in point is this picture from an early season road race in France. 

 

It'll be interesting to see if he runs a 29er hardtail at the World Cup this year, and I guarantee if he does that many others will follow.  

Freeon 2.0

It's raining, and that's my excuse.  Actually it's been pouring for four straight days, and looks set to pour for four more.

With that in mind I'm not riding, so I feel like that gives me a little latitude for geekery like updating my Freeons with new temple wires and white ear socks.  Would anyone else care or notice?  Probably not, but I think it's cool and I'm just a little more excited to put these on next time I head into the woods.

When the rain stops I'll be ready.  Maybe the RSL will be, too.

The Tungsten Electrode

What you are looking at is a ghost. 

The Tungsten Electrode was a highly touted and much anticipated full suspension rig from Indpendent Fabrication featuring a DW link rear end and an in-house titanium front triangle.  Keen eyed readers will notice that this particular specimen is most likely steel and not ti as evidenced by the downtube gusset.

If we can date the bike by the build I'd say it's probably about 2-3 years old as 970 series XTR ran from late fall 2007 to fall 2010.  I'm not normally a Manitou fan, but the color looks great against the green decals.  Also the white LeMond road saddle looks totally at home and adds a subtle sense that style and performance matter to the owner.

Jason said that this was the best mountain bike he'd ever ridden, but sadly it was never produced.  If you see one take a moment to appreciate it from afar, or better yet politely ask the owner if you can ride it.

Most likely this picture will be closest that many of us will ever get.

Another Step Closer

The weekend worked out in what has become the new normal standard, which is to say that my initial plan went completely out the window.  Still, I made some progress and think I made some good on-the-fly decisions.

The weather was pretty bad over the weekend, and bad enough for me to decide not to race on Sunday.  After Saturday's damp preride of the course at Catamount I decided that for a variety of factors the best call was to not race.  The track was rideable early, but with another inch of rain in the forecast for the next 24 hours it would only get much, much worse.  

Yesterday I got the wheels laced up for the RSL.  I went with my King ISO disc hubs with silver spokes, silver alloy nipples and Crest 29'er rims, which is basically a bigger version of the wheels currently on the YBB.

So here's a shot of the YBB post hosedown, pre clean, adjust & lube.  As I'm planning to get the RSL rolling this week I wanted to give this bike some attention as it is sure to get neglected. 

Updated Pics- Elcyclista Kit

Here are some slightly better shots of the radiant Elcyclista kit.

Have you still not gotten one for yourself yet?