Training ride @ T15 on 240410

Time: 0930

Date: 170410

Location:

My first ride Off road on my Giant XTC NRS.

I was hoping for a good ride, unfortunately, i did not do well in this ride. The run on Friday did quite a fair bit of damage on my legs, especially on the quads, hamstring and calfs.

During the ride, the NRS suspension took care of all the bump, it reacts well. I think it is a little bit slower than my previous Voodoo Erzulie on the climb, it may be my condition of fatigue.

Overall, i loved this bike.

Training Ride 170410 @ T15

Time: 0930

Date: 170410

Location:

Track 15 offroad

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Planned to ride in interval training format. Drove the car and arrived at the chestnut ave barrier, brought 7.5 litres of water this time. The trail is wet and muddy today. Felt not as strong as i was previously.

Off road ride on 110409

Time: 0830
Date: 110410

Location:




Cleared:
B1 to B10
L1 to L10 less L8 and L13

From Changi Ferry Terminal

Training Ride 030410 @ T15

Time: 0930

Date: 030410

Location: T15

Elapsed time: 1hr 09min 29sec

Distance: 19.54 km

Ave Speed: 16.9km/h

Bike used: Voodoo Erzulie

Track 15 offroad

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Drove from home to Chestnut drive. Parked the car and started the the training ride. 2 laps of T15 basic MTB trail route.

Tyre is one of the most important component on the bike. It make a lot of difference on the trail. The geometry is another area that will affect the speed of the bike. In the past I do not believe in this, often sporting a flat bar and a 18 inch frame. The ride is unstable, hard to control over more technical terrain.

After switching to tubeless. The bike dig and hold it line well. Pumping to 35 psi, the ride is wonderful. The grip is good. I believe the Skinny Jimmy sticks onto the ground regardless of the kind of abuse I threw at it.

The average speed is still slow at 17km/h. Hope to work harder to go faster. I aim to hit 20km/h next training session.

Back to Off road, Life cycle of a cyclist

A rider usually start off with a simple mountain bike. Those memories of exploring the trails and bombing through rocky terrains are unforgettable. Often on a hardtail. The cyclist wishes that he can go faster, he invested in a pair of clipless pedals.

On the trail, other cyclists with beautiful, high tech full suspension bicycle and disc brakes are make their way on the downhill rocky trail, at high speed. The cyclist wanted the same full suspension advantage the other cyclists are getting. The cyclist bought a full suspension.

As my circle of cyclist friends gets bigger, the ride becomes faster, a lot faster. Most ride was on the road, the mountain biker will switch to a pair of skinny slick tires to keep up with friends, or to beat their friends. The cyclist lock out his full suspension buy lightweight parts.

Slowly, the 26" wheels and the suspension fork can no longer satisfy the desire for speed in the cyclist, the road bike will be the next investment.

On the road bike, in a group ride, to gain more advantage, the cyclist bought a pair of aero bars. He hope his aerodynamic advantage can help him go faster.

The cyclist picked up the other discipline like swimming and running, combined then and went for races.

After 10 years of racing, the cyclist looked back and hope he have the same joy of just exploring the trails. After 10 years, the triathlete, became a mountain biker again, he hop onto his hard tail with vee brakes and explore the trail. His hardtail may weigh 13kg, he is happy, because speed is not what he is after, fun is. It is easier to satisfy the urge for fun, then the urge of speed.

The life cycle of a cyclist, speed and fun don't mix.

The choice of bicycle used is predominantly determined by the format of ride chosen.

Road cycling is one of the most common format locally, bicycles used usually comes with 700c wheels, drop handlebar and double chain ring. Deviation such as triple chain ring, flat handlebar and 650c wheels are also available. Road bike comes with thin tyres ranging from 18mm to 25mm commonly. The seat angle is somewhere between 72 degrees to 74 degrees. It is suitable for smooth surfaces.











Above: An example of road bike


Another format of road cycling is Time Trial. Some of the cyclist call it Tri bike, however, the difference between the 2 is the seat angle. Sporting pursuit bar (bullhorn) with aero bar. wheels are either in deep V, trispokes or disc. The position of Time Trial bike make it every aero dynamic. Seat angle for TT bike is generally 72 degrees to 76 degrees, Tri bike usually spot a seat angle of 76 degrees to 80 degrees.Tri bikes are not UCI legal. While TT bikes are not Mass start legal.










Credits: http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/russian/images/beijing/Levi-TT-Bike.jpg



Track cycling is rare locally. It have its fans in other country. Usually sporting a fixed wheel with single speed. Track bikes are super bikes.
















Credits: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f120/28499d1148139464-lotus-super-bike-lotusbike1.jpg

Off Road riding is sub divided into a few discipline. Cross country, downhill, 4X, trial, etc

In this post i shall only describe cross country cycling.
Cross country cycling or XC bikes are typically lighter then other off road bikes, it primary function is to participate in races traversing cross country terrain. Typically a cross country bike comes with a suspension fork. Some models come with suspension frame.

Frame with suspension is known as full suspension (full sus/ FS), frame without suspension is known as Hardtail (HT).

Fork is usually telescopic fork, in some models multiple linkage fork. Its travel ranges from 63mm to 100mm. Travel means the amount of verticle movement made by the lower of the fork.

Wheels are typically 26 inches, with the new standard of 29 inches. Tyres are fat ranging from 1.75 inches to 2.25 inches, with studs and patterns known as treads.

The drivetrain is usually 3 triple chain ring, with huge gear ratio. Sporting either a flat handlebar or riser bar.












Above: Cross country bike

My First XC riding experience

Mountain bikes are meant to be ridden in cross country terrain. I am only exposed to cross country cycling in 2001. 5 years after I had my mountain bike. The experience is so memorable, I can still vividly remember the day and the scar it left.

My virgin ride is in T15 mandai. Some call it Gangsa trail. It is near the Singapore Zoological Garden and Night Safari. The road leading to the zoo, look the right, you will see a tarmac road leading to T15.

Cross country isn't easy. I rode my then Specialized Hardrock and meet up with a guy, i think his nickname is Fuzzybear in Togoparts. We met at the Seletar Reservoir park, there he showed me the way to T15.

T15 is perfect for beginners, not a lot of tight turn, just a couple of climbs. I would grade it as 2 stars out of 5 stars in terms of difficulties.

There i met a few other cyclists, whom I can still recall his nickname Fisher (Riding a Gary Fisher).

Unfortunately, the gathering ended very soon. The group went their separate ways. The group became too competitive as we get more and more experienced in cross country.

Honestly, I missed them and the rides with them.