Wideopen Issue 18

Open publication - Free publishing - More cycling

All Canadian drive...

I can't believe I've only just had to replace the original Raceface chain rings on my 2004 vintage Evolve forged cranks... So what to go for?

Something Japanese, British or Canadian? The Blackspire Super-pro set were the right price performance compromise for me.

April showers...

Or should that be monsoons?

We've had rain now for virtually all of April - apart from the first week or so it seems to have been damp non-stop. In fact I was wishing no one else could come so I could jack the ride in but then the clock struck four and the clouds parted and I drove up to the forest in a brief glimpse of sunshine. It didn't last long though...

Tony, Ryan and I got soaked as we set off after a breather at Walker Barn, and the road climb up to Charity Lane with a head on wind, full on BIG droplet rain and only in a short sleeve jersey was certainly a test of your commitment. With this much water Charity itself was awash, though surprisingly quick if you could blink away the mud and water.

So a good ride, and nice to start to get used to the Five now, I'm finding my feet in the corners now too, and want to start pushing up my speed. I've ordered a new set of chain rings as I'm getting a little chain suck (they are the originals!), and I've replaced the Kona saddle with a slim Charge Spoon. I plan to fit a chain device (the Gamut I had on the BFe for a while) when I remove the crank arm for the chain rings too, as the Five drops it's chain a lot more than the Coiler ever did. I guess that was because the Coiler's rear wheel part kept the chain fairly taught and the wheel sort of pivoted around roughly the bottom bracket area whereas the Five is a high pivot, though I've not looked to see what the axle path would be I expect under load the suspension slackens the chain a touch?

After the ride Ryan inspected his brake pads (see the photo) to find there was pretty much nothing left... I looked at mine when I got home to find a similar situation! Anyhow they've lasted a year or so not bad. Just add it to the list...

Lost for words...

With a week off for Easter, tonight was only the second week night ride of 2012, and they're now in everyone's diaries for the rest of the year. Mixed weather in the last fortnight, snow and lots of rain so Jon, Tony and I didn't know what to expect... Well Charity Lane was quite messed up and with patches of snow at the top, but it was very quick, if you could see through the spray in the wet bits! Bottom of the Oven was insanely quick, the damp conditions hold the sand and stones together so it just doesn't move around the same. We did the whole loop, and coming down the old push up track was mint as well, a little slippery but a big smile on our faces.

Macclesfield 12/4/2012

And what of the Orange this week? Well, I've topped up air pressure in the RP23 and set sag without pro-pedal one (school boy mistake last time out). I slowed it down a touch on rebound and only ran it in '3' for the climbs, and fully off '0' on the descents. The front forks were also tweaked a touch on rebound and BOY OH BOY what a transformation. It's a machine, so quick! Great fun. The whole bike eats up the terrain at terrific speed, accelerates pretty well, and in the corners, my word, I'm lost for them...

Way back when I remember comparing FiveTen trainers to the change from old fashioned Tioga DH tyres to Maxxis 42a sticky rubber. I'm going to compare the Orange as going from a 1.1 Peugeot 106 to the Citroen Saxo 1.6 VTR - My first car, the 106 handled really nicely, reasonably stable, enough grip to put a smile on your face but the suspension tweaks on the Saxo VTR (basically the same chassis, god it was incredible. I started really driving that VTR hard back in the day... Anyway, that's what the Five felt like tonight, absolutely on rails...