PNP Stage 1 - Makara Peak

Last time I entered a PNP race on a Singlespeed bike I finished last, so I didn't hold high hopes for the 1st race in the series. Combined with a flu like symptoms, a sore throat and it was raining heavily outside, if I hadn't pre-entered already I would have stayed home in bed.

Often when people see a Singlespeeder they think of a fast rider, I am not that person, I am not fast on a singlespeed. I had initially planed to enter my race bike, my (geared) Blur XC, but I just couldn't face the servicing nightmare after a good thrashing in the rain. After all aren't singlespeeds more reliable on wet weather rides? And I pre rode the course last week on my SS and all wasn't too bad.

Feeling soft I entered the Enduro class, I didnt want to race T3 and I had some friends that I often rode with entering this class so I felt it would be nice and competitive.
On the start line the rain started up again (it had stopped briefly) and it pretty much didn't stop until well after the race had finished.
I felt the race went pretty well for me, at times I felt I didn't have a big enough gear and at other times I felt a bit fatigued on the climbs. Throughout the race I held my position pretty well and not many people passed me and I did pass a few. On Nikau Valley I over steered on one corner and rode into the bank bringing pain to my foot that I managed to ignore for the rest of the race.
After more climbing I was at the top of North Face, this meant there was no more uphill. I also found that there was no more pads on my front disc brake and a sparingly amount on my rear. I managed to get to the bottom without crashing but there were plenty of sketchy moments where the use of effective braking would have helped greatly. I passed a few more riders.

I was across the finish line in 1:43:46 earning me 11th place, nothing to be proud about. The Singlespeed felt like it had had a good thrashing. I think I would have been a lot faster on my race bike but it was great knowing that it wouldn't need a overhaul before my 12hr solo in a couple of weeks (Day Night Thriller).

Unfortunately after the race, my cold kicked into full gear. Today as I write this I feel terrible and don't believe I will be back at work tomorrow either :(

The DMR thats not

It was my birthday recently so I thought I would treat myself to a new bike. I had been on the lookout for a replacement for my DMR Singlespeed, I was looking for something lighter in weight and with XC geometry, it also had to made from steel.

I had my eye on a Kinesis decade Virsa made from Tange Prestige and weighing in at 4.8lbs. Chain Reaction Cycles had these for sale in the UK and when the Emerald Green frame came in stock I ordered it.

There is a great review on the bike at Bike Radar which essentially sold me on the frame http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/decade-virtue-09-34708

Kinesis partnered with Upgrade Bikes who are responsible for DMR to make this frame. Under close inspection the Virsa looks a lot like a current model Trailstar but with XC geometry, lighter weight and without the ISIG tabs. The bike shares the same swopout system as the DMR for the rear dropouts.

I built the bike up with a combination of new and old parts - Reba 100mm forks, Stylo 700mm flat bars, Juicy 7 brakes, Stylo Cranks, Mavic/DMR/Hope SS specific wheelset. Running a gear ratio of 32:18 the bike weighs in at a modest 25.3lbs - quite a bit lighter than my old DMR.

On the trails the bike feels responsive and fast; the bike climbs quicker and easier than the DMR and descends almost as well. The bike runs a 69 degree head angle and with the 700mm bars this inspires confidence and allows the bike to handle beautifully downhill. The 71 degree seat tube allows for snappy acceleration and climbing ease. The bike has a low bottom bracket at just under 12" this makes the bike very fast on tight single track but it does suffer often from pedal strike. Kinesis Decade say the frame is designed for forks between 100mm and 130mm.

I have 2 rides under my belt so far on this bike and am loving it, there is no going back.

Its a shame I have this new bike and wont be competing at the Singlespeed Worlds in October.

Back into it

I recently got back from a work trip to Seoul, this meant I had been off my bike for over 2 weeks. I had visions of hitting the gym while I was away but this never happened. I was working long hours and coupled with the 30 something temperatures and high humidity at the end of my work day, exercise was the last thing on my mind.
Seoul was a great city but while I was there I wished for clean fresh air, there was quite a bit of smog in the city and every restaurant or pub we went into allowed smoking.
And I feel like in my couple of weeks away I have added some extra weight as certain clothes aren't fitting as well either.

I got back last Sunday afternoon and after a rest day on Monday I was back into my riding. I pushed my usual pace to the top of Makara and to my surprise my head was spinning when I reached the top. Wednesday night I hit the trails again with some (fast) friends and struggled to keep up, but at least this ride felt better than the previous days. Thursday I went for a run at lunch time to ensure that if I still wasn't feeling pain from the previous 2 days I would be that day. Friday I had off as I let my legs recover from the run. Saturday I got a text saying "hard and fast" this resulted in a couple of painful laps around Makara Peak with a couple of friends. And then today I have been out again repeating yesterday's effort but on my singlespeed.
Hopefully with this weeks effort I should be back into it.