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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 16-09-2007 |
 Epic Brabant Walloon ride |
Had a great and somewhat epic ride in the province of Brabant Walloon today. I still felt tired from last friday but decided to go out and get a 4 hour offroad ride in. I took the Moots since this is the bike that lets me relax the most while riding it. I started out in Meerdael forest, quickly crossing the language border , more or less following the Meerdael 2000 organised ride trail. Hamme-Mille, Bossut, and then further towards Biez and Longueville. There I could join the Accro Bike trail. I left out the worst bit where the trail is flooded because I did not want to get my bike wet. The trails were great, dry and smooth. I have been using a Nokian NBX Lite 2.2 tyre for the last month and this has proven to be a great performer. The Moots took me up on all the hills, even the impossible ones. I only encountered one stretch of mud when I descended next to the Bercuit Golf Course. I have found an alternative path there, which avoids a forbidden trail right next to the Golf course but the downside is that this new trail is heavily used by horses and it's a real mess in its lower regions where the water gets trapped. Add to that a lot of hooves and you get the picture. Still, I found a little trail through the undergrowth which left me with some thorn scratches but at least kept me out of the worse mud. I more or less did the complete Accro Bike except one loop of 5K or so, as I already explained above. At the finish I dropped back down towards Wavre and crossed the busy N25.
After that I made my way over to Archennes, with a nice climb onto the Bossut plain and then drop towards Nethen where I finished off with a hilly bit of my Meerdael loop. I was very tired but also very elated when I got home.Ride Stats : 78K and 1060 heightmeters in 4h11mins8128/76560
16-09-2007, 16:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 08-09-2007 |
| Happy |
My saturday started off great when I got a surprise visit from a dear friend. We hadn't seen each other for a few months and it felt wonderful to hug up and chat about all the exciting things in life. She has been cutting back considerably in her biking because of other more important issues in her life. Therefore we don't meet up as often as we used to do. Biking was mainly the glue that held us together for almost 4 years now but it feels damn good to know that there is more to our friendship than just biking-related stuff . Thanks for keeping me on your list, M !
After that it felt kinda weird to get on my bike and do a ride but I needed to get the heavy feeling out of my legs from yesterdays' ride so I grabbed the Hilset and rode out for an easy ride along Bertem, Vossem, Duisburg and Leefdaal. My cold is not completely vanished and I have cancelled an organised ride in the Ardennes because I feel I am simply not strong enough to tackle a challenge like that. I hope to be back to my old form in a few days though.
Ride Stats : 39.5K and 275 heightmeters in 1h38mins
7934/74665
08-09-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 07-09-2007 |
| Meerdael Loop 2 - Litespeed Sewanee testride Two |
Today I felt fit enough to try and tackle the second part of my
Meerdael loop. This is a very hilly 35K with a relentless succession of
steep short uphills and downhills. I took Rogers' Sewanee for its
second outing. I had put 140psi in the rear damper and along the ride I
would try the 3 ProPedal positions on the Fox RP3 . The track was
almost dry and the bike is very good in the climbs. The shifting was a
bit more to my liking now, especially the front shifting is nice. With
the X0 you can put the front derailleur in different positions so as to
always have the chain running in the middle of the cage. This is a good
thing. I never missed a shift up front. The only thing they should try
to remedy is the loud 'clang' when you shift a gear. Here they can
learn a thing or two from Shimano. With my XTR you seldom hear anything
. Oh well, I made do with what I had. Same goes for the Hutchinson
Python. It is beyond me why people like this tyre so much. Ok , it runs
great on tarmac and hardpack but lacks grip both on the profile as on
the sides. Especially the lack of offcamber grip had me scream a
few times when either the front or rear wheel skidded away.
I managed to bottom out the suspension again and my impression during the first ride that the
back end of the Sewanee flexxes proved to be correct. I was a bit stronger now
than during my first ride and I could feel it twitch quite a few times
when I accelarated or pushed hard uphill. It is not something that is
worrying but you do notice that the rear end gives in certain
circumstances. I was very quick in the downhills and I noticed the
brakes were not in their best form. I could almost squeeze the levers
against the handlebar. I think they need either more oil or new pads,
probably both. The lack of grip from the tyres also meant I had to
break a bit sooner than I can do with Nobby Nics or NBX Lites.
Halfway during the ride I began to feel that my cold was not completely
out of my system, but the bike got me through and I completed the lap.
I still have doubts about going to the Ardennes this sunday though . I will have
to see if my nose clears completely. Otherwise I will settle for a ride
in my neighborhood.
As for the Sewanee, this is undoubtedly a good bike. It is a tad short
for me - remember this is a size M and I need a size M/L - but still it
got me up the hill on all my nasty climbs and blasted on the downhills. I had to
lean back a bit more than I usually do though on those downhills,
especially on the 30% drops. It's a light bike - I weighed it at 11.1kg
ready to go - and its very nimble around corners and twisty singletrack.
The only time I had to walk was when that damn Python lost its grip on
a root. But it could also be that I was just too tired to lift it over
that root properly. Riding the Sewanee fast downhill resulted in it
bottoming out, although I did not feel this, I saw the marker was at
the end of the plunger, indicating all the available travel had been
used. Fiddling with the ProPedal positions on the Fox RP3 did not make
it noticeably better in the uphills, it still bumps over roots, but it
gave me a better feeling when speeding along over cobbles when I had it
in the 2nd position. The third position is useful when on tarmac. It
still takes the big bumps but is slower to react on the pedal input.
The titanium rear triangle did flex a bit - sometimes it almost felt as
if the rear wheel followed a parallel track to the front wheel - but
this is not something that bothered me. I think Litespeed is updating
it's rear triangle this year. Instead of round tubing they are using
box-section tubing which should improve the rear end twitching
considerably. I will have to make sure Roger gets his brakes looked at
though, I feel they need maintenance.
Ride Stats : 37.5k and 670 heighmeters in 2h29mins
7895/74390
07-09-2007, 18:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-09-2007 |
| Damn Crossmax |
Wanted to put my 1999 crossmax wheels - with the 2.1 Racing Ralph tyres - back on my Hilset when I noticed the rear wheel was severely out of true. When I looked at the spokes I saw that one spoke was very loose..
Oh no, not again.. yes, indeed, the spoke had torn out the nipple and cracked the outer rim wall . Spoke tension is crucial on these wheels and when you really apply a lot of power, like in a muddy affroad passage, you can put so much tension on the spokes that they tear the nipple out of the flimsy rim wall. I guess the weight gain has some disadvantages after all. I have had troubles like this at least 2 times before..This picture dates from 2004 when after a muddy nightride I found out the achilles heel of these wheels.
It has happened once more since then, I think last year around september as well . This last rim has been replaced under warranty by Filip Sport but the first one was already too old when I first cracked it. I always have to pay for new spokes and the work of course. Here is a picture that was taken today..
These wheels are amazingly light but at a high price. I think this rim is less than a year old and the wheel has only been used for road training. It looks like new . And yet I have again managed to tear the nipple through the rim wall. I must be superman indeed.So another appeal to Mavic's warranty policy to get a new rim. I mounted my new XTR wheel instead and got going for a quick spin around the blue road bloso which starts in Heverlee. The temperatures were nearly 20 degrees and the wind was warmer than yesterday. Still there was some light drizzle from time to time but nothing that really got me wet.Ride Stats : 31k and 215 heightmeters in 1h15mins7858/73720
06-09-2007, 15:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 03-09-2007 |
| Meerdael Loop - Litespeed Sewanee testride |
After two days of sniffing and fighting nasal constipations I felt like going out again and have an easy ride in the forest. My friend Roger had left his Litespeed Sewanee at my place and had asked me to give it a spin. I thought I'd give it a try even though it was a size too small for me (it's an M and I need an M/L). I put on a longer stem and fiddled with the saddle height and I got the saddle/handlebar distance to within 1.5 cm of what I normally drive. The crankarms are 170mm and I normally ride 175s' and the X0 twistshifters are not my favorites either. Another adaptation from the X0 thumbies that were mounted on the Merlin I tested last week. Roger put on some XTR pedals and these were great ! Another thing I am not fond of is the Hutchinson Python tyres, especially since it had rained a bit this morning. But the tyres, although not inspiring me with lots of confidence, turned out to be fine.I decided to do my Meerdael Loop, the twisty first part, but in the reverse direction. I wasn't feeling super but nevertheless I managed to keep up a good rhythm throughout the ride. I had left the Fox RLC front fork the way it was and put 130psi in the Fox RP3 rear pump. From the first meters I could the feel the bike was a tad short, which made it rather nervous. Riding along on a tarmac section I could feel the suspension work quite distinctively. I had the option to lock it but didn't use that option. The little bobbing movement was not really bothering me. During the first offroad climb I was struggling a bit with the shifting - having to get used to which direction to turn the gripshifts - but the bike, which weighs about 11.5kg , was quite nimble and let me keep a good pace, even with the moderate grip of the Pythons. The suspension took the bigger whoops quite nicely on downhills and flat sections but was quite harsh on the shorter small stuff. Especially on roots and on a cobble section it really bothered me that the suspension felt harsh and quick to rebound. I could have dialled the rebound to go slower but that would have influenced the nice performance on the bigger bumps. I nearly used up all the travel but I never felt it bottom. It was quite a joy to steer around the twisty singletrack sections and I think I could feel it twitch just a little bit at the rear. Nothing bothersome and it could also have been the wheels but it did not feel as stable as the Merlin did. I kept comparing it to that bike obviously since that was the last bike I've ridden , which is perhaps unfair since the Merlin has 4 inches - 10 cm - of travel and the Sewanee only has 2.3 inches - 6 cm. This of course makes it more difficult to tune the rear suspension and that is also what I have felt during the ride. I have the feeling it will be difficult to make it perform well on both the short shoppy stuff and the longer bouncy whoops. The way this bike was set up - rebound halfway the spectrum and 130psi for my 70kg - made it go very fast and very comfortable on the longer bouncy whoops but it nearly ground to a halt over a shoppy series of treeroots.Still, I was pretty fast with it, especially uphill due to its light weight and good gearing. I had a nice encounter with a small Roe Deer that was feeding at the forest rim.. It halted long enough for me to take my camera out and make a few pictures. I turned around so as not to disturb it and went around it. After an hour into the ride things started to get pretty dark under the heavy coverage and I decided to call it a day. I may have another ride on this bike later in the week.
Ride Stats : 24.5K and 245 heightmeters in 1h20mins
Some pictures of the Sewanee : CLICK
7750/72675
03-09-2007, 21:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 30-08-2007 |
| Meerdael 2000 - Merlin Works 4.0 testride Five |
I'm beginning to get quite used to
this Merlin. It will hurt when I have to give it back next saturday.
Today is the weekly ride of the KBC MTB boys and the guide took us
along the 22K distance of the upcoming Meerdael 2000 ride . A fine ride
through Meerdael forest. Since we only left at 6.30pm and it was an
overcast day we had to hurry to get out of the forest by nightfall. I
didn't feel very good today, my nose started running during the day.
Looks like I'm developing a cold. Have to wait and see how this
develops or I will have to change my weekend plans.
The bike performed great, the other
guys were very interested to know what it was and how it rode. Of the 8
bikers there were 5 guys with a fully, and all top-notch stuff, so I
was in good company. At the end of the ride the downhills became tricky
due to the fading light but we all made it unharmed.
My friend Roger came by with his Litespeed Sewanee and left it for me to test. He is on a holiday next week so I have a weeks time to see how it performs. The frame is a size too small for me really but I will try to see what I can do with another stem to make it ride-able. The picture next to this article clicks through to a nice picture of the two Titanium fullies.
Ride Stats : 31.5K and 270 heightmeters in 1h36mins
7705/72205
30-08-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 28-08-2007 |
| Flying - Merlin Works 4.0 testride Four |
Today I rode over to Filip Sport to talk about the possibilities of
building up a bike. Yes, it is decided, I have ordered a Merlin Works
4.0 bike at ABG today. The ride over to Hoeilaart , and back , was one of the fastest I have ever
done on some parts of the Overijse Bloso routes. This bike really makes
me fly, the suspension mellows out all the trail irregularities and I
can fully concentrate on pedalling. One thing I cannot do with a
hardtail, that is for sure. With a hardtail, you cannot keep on pedalling all the time, lest you get a coup-de-racquette in your back. The ICT suspension deals with this beautifully and you feel more relaxed on your bike due to the greater comfort. Even though I have been biking pretty tough
rides these last 4 days, I still felt remarkably fit . Whether this is
due to the bike or if I am just in the form of my life remains to be
seen but this bike for sure makes me ride pretty fast. I added a few
steep climbs I would normally hardly make with a hardtail and this bike took them all quite easily, I just had to pedal and point it in the right direction. In climbing it rivals the Moots YBB which I still feel is among the best bikes to ride up a hill with. I can keep the Merlin testbike until
this saturday and I am planning at least 2 more rides with it. I feel this bike is a major step forward in the way I bike. Filip of
Filip Sport will build up the bike. The buildup will consist of Shimano
XTR front and rear derailleurs, shifters and crankset; Hope Mono Mini
Pro discbrakes with Shimano XTR rotors, Dt Swiss XR1540 disc wheels and
either a Race Face X0 or Thomson seatpost. I will use my Morati M-bar
and the Rock Shox Reba World Cup that has been lying around waiting for
a bike for almost a year now. I have not decided if I will use 160/160 brake rotors or will opt for a 180mm at front. I have that last setup on the Moots and the stopping power is awesome but a bit over the top, even for the Ardennes. Normally the frame will be delivered within 3 weeks.
Ride Stats : 49.5K and 335heightmeters in 2h7mins
7674/71935
28-08-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-08-2007 |
| Sonian Forest - Merlin Works 4.0 testride Three |
Took a day off from work today to
further test the Merlin Works 4.0 full suspension bike. I opted for a
long ride today, which would take me to the Sonian Forest. In that big
forest there are a few BigM loops I interconnect and I also do the Nero
Bloso loop. This yields me nearly 100K . The bike performed again very
well. I think it almost saved my life at one point because I was
overshooting a difficult downhill - I was there before I realized it,
this bike makes me go fast! - I hit the brakes but I couldn't stop the
bike, my speed was too high. So I just let it go, down the steps I
went, bike and all. With a hardtail I might have had a tough time
making this downhill, I would probably break my frame in half by the
second or third step. Or be broken myself more likely by the impact.
But this bike just took the steps, one by one, at an amazing speed. You
can rest assured that things like this are very good for the confidence
you have in a certain bike. A few kilometers earlier, along
one of the winding singletracks of the Nero route it suddenly developed
a creaking sound which I think comes from the XTR bracket. I'm pretty
sure it isn't the seatpost/saddle or rear suspension since it only
creaks rhythmically when I turn the pedals, and then only when I push
them hard.
It's a joy on the singletracks, up and down, left and right, over roots, through puddles, I could keep the speed very high, a lot higher than with a hardtail. I had the feeling I was also faster than with the Seven Duo. I have been thoroughly testing that bike last year but the Merlin is more than a 1200 grams lighter than the Duo, which should make it more nimble by default .
At one point I developed a flat, or more correctly , my rear tyre
was losing pressure. I had to inflate it twice but I made it home
without having to replace the inner tyre.Had a good long ride today and was very pleased again with the behaviour of this bike.
Ride Stats : 99.5K and 905 heightmeters in 4h31mins
7624/71600
27-08-2007, 18:56 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-08-2007 |
| Nandrin - Merlin Works 4.0 testride Two |
Today
I wanted to test the Merlin in some more challenging terrain so I went
to Nandrin. This is an area I know very well and it offers some steep
climbs and tricky downhills. I set out at the little church of Scry. I
did not change any of the bikes' settings because I was quite pleased
with the way the suspension behaved. From the outset, I was on a
false-flat gravel road, with some bigger stones protruding. When I ride
a hardtail, this is one section where I have to get out of the saddle a
couple of times to avoid being hammered in the back. Well, as was to be
expected, the ICT suspension really shines on sections like these. You
just remain seated and you can continue pedalling, which results in a
more comfy ride AND a higher speed. Great!
I noticed when I climbed
into the forest that the area was a lot wetter than yesterday, with big
puddles , some of which I could not avoid, making the bike dirty with
mud pretty soon. There had been some local yoyos rodeo-ing through the
trails with jeeps leaving the entire forest road covered with slimy mud
their tyres threw up when they hammered the waterholes. Yummie!
The
Nobby Nics were not concerned though, they offer great traction and,
what is even more important, also astonishing grip on offcamber
sections. I was only surprised once when my front wheel washed out on a
wet rock I did not see and I had to react with lighting speed to keep
the rubber side down. Unfortunately I was still having trouble with the
narrow-ish handlebar, which did not help my confidence in the technical
sections and also the Sram X.0 controls would never become my friends.
Those X.0 shifters are really NOT made for my hands. No matter how I
positioned my fingers, I could NOT find a position which had me
comfortably holding the handles while allowing me to brake with one
finger and be able to shift up and down without having to adjust my
fingers' position at least once. XTR lets me do just that. That is why
I have XTR on all my bikes and why I am not impressed by the X.0
thumbies.
I got used to the X.0 rear derailleur by now so I had no
more trouble with that. Save the fact that I am used to a Rapid Rise
XTR which had me make a couple of miss-shifts, and in some occasions
these caused me to walk. I don't like to walk!
After 22K I got to
the bottom of a long climb, a perfect place to check out the way the
Fox Float R rebound control influences the behaviour of the rear
suspension. I first rode up the climb with the rebound in the middle
position, the way I had been using it all along now. The track was very
steep and littered with wet rocks, little gullies ,pieces of wood and
other rubble. I was on the smallest gear but made the climb with no
real troubles. I then rode down the trail and started the climb all
over again, this time with the rebound in the fastest position.
Immediately the rear wheel began to behave more skitterish on the
rocks, comparable to what a hardtail would do. I did make the climb but
I had to expand some more energy to counteract the way the rear
suspension acted. The fast rebound made the wheel lose control from
time to time. Down the hill again. I put the rebound on the slowest
position and rode up that hill a third time. This went great but from
time to time I did feel the sluggish return of the shock hindered my
upward motion. After this I can only conclude that the best way for me
to climb with this shock is just put the rebound in its middle position
(it has 5 clicks) and get on with it.
After this I had to rest a
little bit on a rocky outcrop and I took some time to eat and take some
piccies. The downhills had me frown because the Reba was emitting some
hissing noises. It worked fine throughout the ride though , and I
really appreciated the remote lockout for the short tarmac sections.
Perhaps it needs some attention in the form of maintenance.
In the
back all was cool. the 10cm of travel are more than enough for my kind
of riding and the terrains I frequent. I could not discern the rear
suspension stiffening under braking (can anyone?) so I cannot vouch for
it being active or not. I did not experience any pedal kickback on the
climbs.
Another steep technical climb in the fields was coming up ,
with the wheels in some kind of gutter formed by rocks and earth, the
trail restricted by sharp thorny bushes on one side, and barbed wire on
the other. This is a real killer and the bike took it well. The wheels
went where they were supposed to go, and I could keep on pedalling .
This is not a climb most people make on their first attempt. I have of
course the advantage of knowing the trail but nevertheless I was
pleased. I was very pleased with my ride today when i arrived back at
my car after some 34K and 2hours+ of riding.
So now, the million dollar question, would I buy this bike?
Well,
the answer is ...probably yes . The Merlin Works 4.0 is a fine bike,
with a rugged, superbly finished front triangle made in my favorite
metal and with an Ellsworth ICT aluminum rear suspension triangle which
was very stiff laterally, had nice oversized bearings , a solid looking
rocker and on top of that worked just fine, allowing me to hammer
while staying seated on the trails where I otherwise would have been
standing up, losing traction and speed . The climbing performance is
similar to my Moots YBB, but offering (a lot) more travel hence faster
speeds in the downhills makes this bike considerably faster overall.
The only advantage a hardtail has would be its lighter weight. But at
11kg this Merlin is no heavyweight, it is even marginally lighter than
my current Moots build.
I would opt for the Fox RP23 damper instead of the Fox Float R, mainly because the RP23 offers more adjustability.
I
would throw all things SRAM far from it though . Obviously I would
choose my preferred XTR Rapid Rise rear derailleur and those heavenly
XTR shifters. The wheels performed great and I would certainly like to
try the XR1540 disc wheelset DT Swiss offers. The dics rotors were
Shimano XTR 160mm and they performed flawlessy with the Hope Mono Mini
rotors, another thing I would not change.
The Rock Shox Reba World
Cup then , yes, I have a Reba World Cup under wraps but I would set it
to 100mm because I believe this is what the bike deserves. To be
honest, the Reba performed good even in the 85mm position but I did
feel the front of the bike was too low. I fiddled some more with the
compression knob (on the remote lockout) but did not feel a lot of
change in the behaviour of the fork whilst riding. Other then that it
dived deeper during braking with lower compression, which nearly took
me by surprise once. I upped the compression considerably and left it
alone after that . The carbon/alu handlebar/stem I would of course
replace with titanium ones, and 56cm at least instead of the 54cm the
Easton EC90 was cut too. The Chris King headset can stay,obviously, and
that Ringlé Moby Deuce 31.2mm seatpost looks so sweet, I want one !
Only
one day to go before I have to return this bike. I had a couple of good
rides on it and I think I will take it for a longer offroad ride
tomorrow, albeit with not as much hills in it as today. Unlike the bike
that can be cleaned and prepared in a few hours for its next ride, this
ole body needs more time to recuperate, no matter what bike it is on.
Pictures : CLICK
7524/7069526-08-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 25-08-2007 |
| Merlin Works 4.0 testride One |
Went to Filip Sport to pick up a Merlin Works 4.0 testbike kindly provided by ABG .
There
were two things I did not like from the start but would have to live
with. The (excellent) Rock Shox Reba Worldcup fork was set to 85mm and
not to 100mm - which would match beautifully with the bike's 100mm (4
inches) of rear suspension . Why they left it at 85 is therefore a bit
of a mystery to me. Furthermore the shifters were SRAM X0 thumbies
mounted on a carbon handlebar. That handlebar was a cm or two too
narrow for my liking. I am an XTR dude but I was secretly looking
forward to try the much-acclaimed and over-expensive X.0 combo.
The
rest of the bike was obviously top-notch to match its pedigree. Filip
mounted some DT Swiss wheels with DT340 hubs and the braking was with
my favorite Hope Mono Mini disc brakes, 160mm in front and rear . Rear
derailleur was a SRAM X.0 and the front derailleur was XTR. Cranks and
BB were Shimano XTR 2005, an excellent choice although I felt the
chainline was a bit off, being to the outside more than was good for
it, causing the chain to drop from the front big and middle chainrings
when shifting all the way up the cassette in the back. The headset was
a Chris King, a golden one , someone obviously knows my preferences.
Tyres were Schwalbes excellent allrounders Nobby Nic in 2.1 inch.
The
saddlepost was a very beautiful Ringle Moby Deuce , made from Easton
aluminum. As I already mentioned the handlebar was an Easton carbon
thingie. Stem was alu and it looked light and stiff. I put on a Flite
saddle and my Xpedo Ti/Ti pedals and weighted the bike at 11kg - give
or take a few grams . Not bad for a titanium full susser with 10cm of
suspension.
The
titanium front trangle oozed craftmanship, and that is to be expected
from a firm like Merlin, who have over 20 years of experience with the
expensive grey metal . Made with their proprietory MTS 3/2.5 tubing the
welds are smooth and even. Very simply put a work of art and a joy to
look at.
The
rear triangle is made by Ellsworth and features their much-appraised
ICT (Instant Center Tracking I believe) suspension, which is basically
a 4-bar linkage job coupled to a Fox Float R pump. I put some 105psi in
it and put the red rebound knob midway. That way I had about 1cm of
sag. On the Reba front fork I put the rebound knob in the middle
position and pumped it up to 105Psi both in the upper and lower air
chamber. I haven't got a clue what the compression knob on the remote
lockout does so I also left it in its middle position. Before getting
it dirty I had a little photo session trying to capture the details of
the bike. Check the link below for the results.
The
ride then. I decided to take it on an easy ride to start out with, to
see if everything worked as it should and also to check if my position
on the bike was right. The bike is a 17.5" frame and I got my position
dialled in perfectly, save for the slightly narrow bars and the front
end which felt a bit low.
I started out on the Blue Meerdael BLOSO
loop and from the start I felt the comfort when the rear suspension
took the stones, cobbles and roots, effectively mellowing out the ride.
I could see the suspension work when I pedalled and I also could feel
it ever so slightly. But it did not bother me. I took some of the
meaner downhills in Meerdael forest and the bike just went where I
pointed it, with fast speed and in perfect control. The narrow bars
bothered me a bit, and I could do with a titanium stem/bar combo in
front instead of the harsh alu/carbon combination that was mounted.
I
did not like the X.0 shifters, they had me wriggling my fingers in all
kinds of positions, taking my concentration away from the ride.
Furthermore I did not like the way the X.0 rear derailleur shifted, it
didn't work as precise as my XTR does, although later into the ride I
learned that instead of caressing the shifters as you do with XTR, you
needed to hammer the X.0 and then they do shift crisply and correct.
On
the uphills I noticed immediately the bike climbed very well , even the
steepest I could find it made without any trouble. Of course since it
only weighs 11kg that was to be expected. It was well balanced and the
suspension did not work against me when pedalling up the slopes. On the
contrary, it nicely followed the terrain and let me concentrate on
powering up the hill. The Nobby Nics - being what they are, an
excellent and grippy tyre - helped as well to track precisely and offer
good traction.
I rode over to Sint Agatha Rode to connect to the
Overijse Red trail, and had a blast on the tricky step downhill. Pity
another biker bailed out in front of me, which caused me to brake , but
the bike handled the dropoffs beautifully, giving me lots of
confidence. The Hope brakes, which I'm quite used to from the Moots,
are very powerful. Even with 'only' 160mm in front I had no need for
more braking power today. When I got home I noticed I used about 5/6th
of the available travel on the Float R, which I think is good. Tomorrow
or monday I plan to take the bike to the Ardennes for some 'real'
downhills and climbs.
So
far so good. I was pleased with the bike's handling, the meticulous
craftmanship, comfortable ride and yet very stiff rear end. I could not
fault it into twisting and turning. Even when standing on the pedals
and powering up a hill I felt no noticeable flex in the bracket or rear
suspension. A very good design it seems. I had some trouble with the
shifting , as I already mentioned the X.0 shifters are not my thing and
the chainline was not optimal causing the chain to drop a couple of
times when I was crossing it too much. I would have loved 100mm in
front but even with 85mm, the Reba performed flawlessly, stiff and
precise steering are a given with this fork. Some more dialling-in is
needed to make it perform a little less harsh on the small stuff. Or I
could opt for a titanium stem/handlebar to mellow out the little
vibrations. That is the setup I use on my bikes. Gave the bike a quick
once-over when I got home , brushed off a few specks of mud and it's
ready to go for another ride.
I want to kindly thank M. Van Doorn at American Bicycle Group for lending me this bike.
Also thanks to Filip at Filip Sport for providing me with the missing parts.
Some pictures can be found here (CLICK) .
Ride Stats : 43.5K and 525 heightmeters in 2h11mins
7490/7005525-08-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 23-08-2007 |
| Haasrode revisited |
Yes, a day without rain , the sun even shone when I arrived home from work. Quickly on the bike and away I went for a spin around the Haasrode tour, one of my favorite road rides which takes me along Hoegaarden and L'Ecluse, with some fine landscapes. I cut the tour short at Pietrebais and rode home over Hamme Mille.
At last I will get to test the Merlin Works 4.0 titanium full suspension bike. Since the end of last year I had been asking Marijn van Doorn, from American Bicycle Group, to testride this expensive bike. I contacted him again a few days ago and he agreed to send the bike over to Filip Sport, where it now awaits final assembly.
Should be ready next saturday. I will test it extensively and see how the Ellsworth ICT rear suspension performs. Maybe my search for a full suspension is at an end, maybe not, we'll see how the bike performs.
Ride Stats : 53K and 380 heightmeters in 2h09mins
7447/69530
23-08-2007, 19:14 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 19-08-2007 |
| Sart Tilman with Miss Piggy and Tango |
This ride was a long time in the making. I had taken Julie (aka "Miss Piggy" at the B-M-B forum ) on a tour around my Nandrin trails in April,
and she promised she would do the same for me at her home trails near
Sart Tilman. But due to our busy shedules and some bad weather when we
could make it both, I had to wait until now to have the pleasure of a
first-class guided tour in the Sart-Tilman region. Julie asked her friend Roger (aka as "Tango" on the B-M-B forum ) to come along because of his intimate knowledge of the trails in the Seraing neighborhood. Roger was the guide for the O2 Bikers Seraing roadbook which appeared in the may 2007 edition of that magazine, so he knows that area like the back of his hand. Needless to say I was in capable hands.
At 1.35pm we were ready to go, starting from the carpark at 'Le Blanc Gravier' sportcentre all the way up the Sart Tilman ridge. Roger had brought his Cannondale Scalpel and Julie her Rothwild fully and I was there with my Litespeed hardtail. Mm, I did have the lightest bike which is always nice in the uphills. Immediately we disappeared in the forest on a fast winding singletrack, with roots to make the descent interesting. We more or less descended from a height of 240 metres to the Ourthe valley, at 70 metres , taking a short uphill along our way. In the valley we headed back up again along a stony ascent which took us past the "Chateau de Colonster" , a castle that is part of the ULG (Université de Liège) patrimonium. The tracks were great , not too wet but still offering good traction. You had to look out for sharp stones and the omnipresent roots. My guides took me along some marvelous trails and at times I thought I was in the Ardennes or the Hautes Fagnes. From time to time some menacing cloud dropped a few raindrops but in all we were very lucky with the weather. From Boncelles - where I once started for an LCMT - Roger took us towards Seraing, for an amazingly beautiful loop in the Bois de la Vecquee and Bois Neuville . The technical downhill dropping us through de Bois de Rognac above the Ruissau de Villencourt all the way down to the Val-Saint-Lambert Cristalleries is surely one of the highlights of this trip. The track - which was at times pretty muddy - takes you down in a secluded valley with the little river flowing deep to your left. Some nice technical bits with rocks, roots and gullies which demanded a good choice of trail and some good tyres as well. Dropping us down from 260 metres to a mere 70 this is one trail I wouldn't mind doing in the opposite direction as well. Great stuff.
The Cristalleries Val Saint Lambert, which have a rich past and a bright future, are certainly worth a visit when you are in the area. We looped back and a tough climb was waiting for us taking us up to the Swimming Pool where the O2 Biker route starts. Some 45K into our loop this climb made me feel my legs and I had to stop for some energy , delivered by Windose . Another highlight was just a few miles away, when we followed a little river going up and down along its banks, occasionally riding though it, which effectively cleaned our bikes from the mud we had accumulated. Another small track took us along some barbed wire on our way back to Boncelles and I managed to flatten my rear tyre on a thorn. No problem, put in a new one - actually a used and fixed one - and I was good to go again. Roger also had flattened twice, both times his front tyre. Miss Julie was spared from flats. I was quite impressed by her fitness level because we were going quite fast , averaging just under 17kph on the entire 60K loop. Another drop and some fine trails meandering in the forest around Sart Tilman and we were back at "le Blanc Gravier" .
Let me tell you, this was a great ride, with two major climbs, as you can see on the profile, lots of singletracks and some major downhills - rather technical at places but never dangerous, at least not in the dry conditions we had today. A little bit of tarmac to connect the Boncelles and Seraing forest was not to be avoided but it offers a good opportunity to recover before hitting the "real stuff" again. I really had a good time and I want to thank my two guides, "Miss Piggy" and "Tango" for taking me out today. This certainly is a region were I could ride all day.
Ride Stats : 60K and 900 heightmeters in 3h36mins
Ride Profile : CLICK
7370/68975
19-08-2007, 22:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 18-08-2007 |
| Arrow |
Today I had promised the organisation of the Haasrode organised ride to help them with the arrowing of the trail. So at 1pm we set out for a 40K loop into Brabant Walloon. The weather was fine and the trails look very promising for tomorrows' ride. I hope they have plenty of attendents because this really is a fine trail and the longest distance of 65K takes you deep into hilly Brabant Walloon. Me I cannot free myself tomorrow morning so I will have to pass for this ride.
Ride Stats: 44K and 480 heightmeters in 2h17mins
7310/38075
18-08-2007, 16:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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