Mark B
Zen MBB Master
I managed to get out for another ride on my new S40 build this past Saturday. Like before, I decided to ride with one of the groups doing a tougher ride. Our group was a C group, with a spattering of people that are close to being B group riders.
The morning was brisk, but I did not ride the entire distance to the ride start. SWMBO was going to ride with another group, so I caught a ride with her to that ride start and then rode the rest of the way to mine. The weather was promising to be gorgeous and the day lived up to that promise.
We started out right away with some climb and descend riding to get warmed up and then pointed our bikes up Redlands Boulevard, which is a pretty decent climb from San Timoteo Canyon over into Moreno Valley, CA. The road is fairly narrow with a decent amount of traffic on it, so not a climb that is for the faint of heart. There are four false summits, the third of which is always disheartening, even though I know it's there. Of course, no climb is without its reward and this was no different.
From there, we started a gradual descent to the south and east, knowing full well that Lamb Canyon was on the menu to come. Some people kind of cruised and others of us took the front. I mostly stayed to the front except for one brief time. I got frustrated with the yo-yoing that was going on in the pack and went up to the lead riders, who had opened up a sizable gap.
We rode on a couple pretty rough stretches of road and I have to say that I am very pleased with the ride quality I am getting from my S40. I was a little concerned about the lack of suspension, but I am pleasantly surprised at how well it actually absorbs rougher pavement. I'm sure the 28C tires and lower pressure help, as well, but this bike rides pretty nice.
We got to Lamb Canyon and I was a little nervous, but really excited to see how I would do on it. I hadn't climbed Lamb Canyon in several years, so this was going to be fun! It's not a super steep, or especially hard climbing, but it's five and a half miles of probably 5% average grade. That's purely a guess, so do not quote me on it. Some bumps are a little steeper and there are a couple places where the grade is definitely less. I started out toward the front of the group and stayed with the front pack until about a half mile from the top, when two guys took off. I didn't even try to go with them, I was content to stay where I was. I was not the fastest up the hill, but I was not at the back, either. In fact, on the slight downhill run to the regroup/water stop, I had closed the gap considerable on the lead two.
The ride back to the ride start wound through some back country roads and ended up on Oak Valley Pkwy, which turns back into San Timoteo Canyon Road as it nears Redlands. As we were approaching Oak Valley, a racer type came alongside us at a stoplight. One of our group said he should go around us as he appeared to be travelling faster than us. I say racer type, but I don't know. He looked quite fit and seemed to handle himself pretty well and he took off pretty darned fast. I hesitated for a minute, staying with our group, but this was a rabbit and I wanted to give chase.
Oak Valley Parkway/San Timoteo Canyon Road is a slight downhill run on a narrow, moderately traveled back road that connects Redlands to Cherry Valley, Moreno Valley and other areas. Going back toward Redlands with a tailwind can be really fun. With a headwind, it can be brutal. On this ride, there was a bit of a headwind, but not horrible. By the time I decided to give chase, the racer type had opened a pretty fair gap. I only had moderate hope of catching him with that kind of lead, but before long, I realized I was, indeed, closing in on him. I almost got up to his wheel when he took a peek and saw me, then tried to reopen the gap. He opened it a little, but within a minute, I was on his back wheel and I'm sure he could hear my freewheel chattering as I caught my breath a second. As I went around him, I asked it the wind was tough and he said one word, "Demoralizing". He turned on the next available road and that was the last I saw of him. I rode the rest of the way on my own, powering down the canyon and arriving back at the ride start well ahead of the rest of my group.
Fun bike and fun ride. I think this is going to be good! I ended the day with 55 miles and 3500 feet of climbing.
In terms of bike performance, I still haven't gone up anything that would cause me to use my 36/32 combo, so I really haven't had opportunity to check for wheel slippage. I got one minuscule instance of wheel hop, but that barely registered with me; I had to think about the fact it happened. I continue to be impressed with the e-tap setup. I did note that my downshifts were not as smooth as they could be, so I will spend a little time on the bike stand double checking the adjustment.
Mark
The morning was brisk, but I did not ride the entire distance to the ride start. SWMBO was going to ride with another group, so I caught a ride with her to that ride start and then rode the rest of the way to mine. The weather was promising to be gorgeous and the day lived up to that promise.
We started out right away with some climb and descend riding to get warmed up and then pointed our bikes up Redlands Boulevard, which is a pretty decent climb from San Timoteo Canyon over into Moreno Valley, CA. The road is fairly narrow with a decent amount of traffic on it, so not a climb that is for the faint of heart. There are four false summits, the third of which is always disheartening, even though I know it's there. Of course, no climb is without its reward and this was no different.
From there, we started a gradual descent to the south and east, knowing full well that Lamb Canyon was on the menu to come. Some people kind of cruised and others of us took the front. I mostly stayed to the front except for one brief time. I got frustrated with the yo-yoing that was going on in the pack and went up to the lead riders, who had opened up a sizable gap.
We rode on a couple pretty rough stretches of road and I have to say that I am very pleased with the ride quality I am getting from my S40. I was a little concerned about the lack of suspension, but I am pleasantly surprised at how well it actually absorbs rougher pavement. I'm sure the 28C tires and lower pressure help, as well, but this bike rides pretty nice.
We got to Lamb Canyon and I was a little nervous, but really excited to see how I would do on it. I hadn't climbed Lamb Canyon in several years, so this was going to be fun! It's not a super steep, or especially hard climbing, but it's five and a half miles of probably 5% average grade. That's purely a guess, so do not quote me on it. Some bumps are a little steeper and there are a couple places where the grade is definitely less. I started out toward the front of the group and stayed with the front pack until about a half mile from the top, when two guys took off. I didn't even try to go with them, I was content to stay where I was. I was not the fastest up the hill, but I was not at the back, either. In fact, on the slight downhill run to the regroup/water stop, I had closed the gap considerable on the lead two.
The ride back to the ride start wound through some back country roads and ended up on Oak Valley Pkwy, which turns back into San Timoteo Canyon Road as it nears Redlands. As we were approaching Oak Valley, a racer type came alongside us at a stoplight. One of our group said he should go around us as he appeared to be travelling faster than us. I say racer type, but I don't know. He looked quite fit and seemed to handle himself pretty well and he took off pretty darned fast. I hesitated for a minute, staying with our group, but this was a rabbit and I wanted to give chase.
Oak Valley Parkway/San Timoteo Canyon Road is a slight downhill run on a narrow, moderately traveled back road that connects Redlands to Cherry Valley, Moreno Valley and other areas. Going back toward Redlands with a tailwind can be really fun. With a headwind, it can be brutal. On this ride, there was a bit of a headwind, but not horrible. By the time I decided to give chase, the racer type had opened a pretty fair gap. I only had moderate hope of catching him with that kind of lead, but before long, I realized I was, indeed, closing in on him. I almost got up to his wheel when he took a peek and saw me, then tried to reopen the gap. He opened it a little, but within a minute, I was on his back wheel and I'm sure he could hear my freewheel chattering as I caught my breath a second. As I went around him, I asked it the wind was tough and he said one word, "Demoralizing". He turned on the next available road and that was the last I saw of him. I rode the rest of the way on my own, powering down the canyon and arriving back at the ride start well ahead of the rest of my group.
Fun bike and fun ride. I think this is going to be good! I ended the day with 55 miles and 3500 feet of climbing.
In terms of bike performance, I still haven't gone up anything that would cause me to use my 36/32 combo, so I really haven't had opportunity to check for wheel slippage. I got one minuscule instance of wheel hop, but that barely registered with me; I had to think about the fact it happened. I continue to be impressed with the e-tap setup. I did note that my downshifts were not as smooth as they could be, so I will spend a little time on the bike stand double checking the adjustment.
Mark
