Big Bad Log

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.