Road biking 2018

[Tony S]

Well..it all depends..

Right. Ken could be the next Danny MacAskill, in which case I retract my post.

 

[Ken_R]

I guess your local MTB trails don't look much like my local MTB trails.

Here there is a bit of everything but smooth singletrack is quite abundant!

These are screenshots from a recent ride:

 

[Wilhelmson]

In new england we have a lot of rocks and roots that aren't well suited for skinny wheels. The popular areas are the worst because they have been riden too much and really should be renovated and shut down for a couple years to recover. Other trails aren't so bad.

 

[Ken_R]

...and this (Buffalo Creek)

 

[tball]

@Ken_R please gopro Mt Falcon on that beast and post here.

Edit: so sorry road bikers.

 

[cantunamunch]

Edit: so sorry road bikers.

Totally covered by the above; @scott43 merely forgot to capitalise 'depends' - probably on a phone or something.

 

[Ken_R]

@Ken_R please gopro Mt Falcon on that beast and post here.
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Edit: so sorry road bikers.

Oh helll no.

That... and Dakota Ridge and a few other areas nearby are a no go for me jejeje Still, plenty of other places to ride

 

[mikel]

Just the climb from Bergen Park to Juniper Pass is brutal. The sustained downhill only really starts just before Echo Lake. The climb up L L Pass is more broken up but can be really tough with a headwind. Everything else is pretty easy but with tired legs not so much. At my weight (185 lb) if I dont get my FTP up to 250-300W its a very very long day. That said, its an awesome route and a special day with so many cyclists doing it! Only happens once a year.

I would suggest a compact crank (50t-34t) with a 11-32t cassette if you power to weight is not very high.

Seems like some get a little anxious and take off out of Bergen on a mission. Especially during the triple when their adrenalin might be pumping just a tad. I agree that your suggestion of crank/cassette will get you everywhere. My biased suggestion would be a Super Record 52/36 with an 11/29. I'm running Super Record 50/34 with a 12/29 and like it a lot for cruising around. I have done the race up Mt. Evans with that setup.

 

[coskigirl]

That is what I though. Been a hard core roadie for many years and done many 100km-200km events and even a 300km one. Got my first cross/gravel bike ever in October (Cannondale SuperX SE). Have only used the road bike a few times since then and it was just to check that everything was working! My cross bike is just fast enough and super versatile. I can basically just take it anywhere even trails mostly used by MTBers (and be faster! just as long as there are not many large and sharp rocks around). It is also more comfortable, brakes better, descends better, has easier climbing gears (42t single front and 11-42t cassette) and is just very low maintenance compared to my road bike. I think that unless one is a fast roadie the cross/gravel bike is the ideal bike for the front range.

Just another though!

I'll second that. I also think a 29in hardtail can be a nice option depending on your quiver and where you ride.

@coskigirl I wasn't thinking cross racing, rather there are so many great gravel trails in your area where the bigger tires are nice: Rock Creek, Coal Creek, and Big Dry Creek all intersect the paved US-36 bike path.

Those gravel trails can be combined with the Morgul Bismark and other classic Boulder road rides depending on your tolerance for cars. The Dirty Morgul Bismark is rideable on a cross/gravel bike, and out to Eldorado Canyon too. Many more gravel trails are being planned and built in the area.

Maybe something like this? You could throw road tires on it for a century:
https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/bikes-invite-comax

I like road riding because I have so many options right out my door. I have a nice mountain bike for when I want to get off road and use it on all those trails you mention. I even ride my current road bike on the Coal Creek trail for awhile at the beginning on nearly all of my post-work rides as it gets me to roads with less traffic/better bike lanes quickly. That being said, I see that a shop near me has the Invite Comax in stock so I'll try to go take a look at that.

 

[scott43]

We have the same junk that Tony has here..roots, rocks, ruts, drops. However, I've been in MTB races that I probably could have done faster on a cross bike simply because they avoided all the good stuff!! And sometimes MTB rides are a lot of dirt roads and paths to get from one good bit to another. And sometimes you're nearly as fast running it than trying to ride over it. You can do really nice rides in mountain areas that don't involve any difficult stuff at all and do some serious climbing on nice hard-pack. So it all depends I suppose.

And really, I've never understood a lot of the divisions..I put semi-slicks on my 29er hardtail with a lockout fork and you can ride pretty much anything..good for fire roads, good for hard pack, good for technical and decent enough for rocks and downhill. I dunno..versatility..

 

[tball]

I like road riding because I have so many options right out my door. I have a nice mountain bike for when I want to get off road and use it on all those trails you mention. I even ride my current road bike on the Coal Creek trail for awhile at the beginning on nearly all of my post-work rides as it gets me to roads with less traffic/better bike lanes quickly. That being said, I see that a shop near me has the Invite Comax in stock so I'll try to go take a look at that.

Glad to hear you have a mountain bike for those trails. Is it FS or hardtail?

I think you were probably on track with the endurance bike for the road since you have a mountain bike, especially if it's a hardtail.

 

[coskigirl]

Glad to hear you have a mountain bike for those trails. Is it FS or hardtail?

I think you were probably on track with the endurance bike for the road since you have a mountain bike, especially if it's a hardtail.

It’s a FS but I’m very happy with it.

 

[firebanex]

I had my first commute of the season today and discovered that part of the highway had not been swept of gravel yet.. hitting some thick patches of gravel at 35mph down hill made for some pretty terrifying speed wobble on my first outdoor ride of the year. Tomorrows route will be slightly longer down the side roads that I know are clear of gravel.

The winter upgrades to my Trek Crockett were well worth the money, got a carbon seatpost, new fizik bar tape, and a new set of 120tpi Clement/Donnelly X'plor USH 35c tires. It all really helped smooth out the ride and those tires roll fast over the rough roads on my commute! Going to snag some Clement/Donnelly PDX's when fall rolls around for cx racing.

 

[Wilhelmson]

@Ken_R please gopro Mt Falcon on that beast and post here.
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Edit: so sorry road bikers.

I didnt' know that there are rocks in Colorado

Where's the mud? Actually that's why I got my kid a Giant Seek off craigslist. It's a small but I still take it to work if I need to get there fast, It's sort of fun being way over the handlebars. I haven't riden it on rocky stuff becuase I'm afraid I'll wreck the wheels, although it's pretty sturdy.

 

[coskigirl]

Where's the mud? Actually that's why I got my kid a Giant Seek off craigslist. It's a small but I still take it to work if I need to get there fast, It's sort of fun being way over the handlebars. I haven't riden it on rocky stuff becuase I'm afraid I'll wreck the wheels, although it's pretty sturdy.

Around here we don't ride trails (and many fully close) when muddy because with our soil type it does too much damage to the trails.

 

[cantunamunch]

Around here we don't ride trails (and many fully close) when muddy because with our soil type it does too much damage to the trails.

That's sort of what I figured - the upside is that squeezing 28s into the BA under the rim brakes won't be a liability.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I tread lightly in the mud, but to avoid it completely would cut the season in half.

 

[Ken_R]

I cleared most of the rocky sections but it wasnt easy. I really took it pretty slowly. With 4-5" of front and rear susp. and 2.3 tires I could have really charged this trail. That said the SuperX SE has awesome capability. From tarmac to gravel to singletrack.

 

[coskigirl]

She’ll have her maiden voyage tomorrow...

 

[Tony S]

^^^
New bike. Always very exciting!