Weeknight Trail Ride? Surprisingly, Yes. (plus a new bike's first ride)

Weekday trail rides are a rarity. Between work and home duties, the time I get to ride during the week are on commutes, which are primarily pavement based, and some short morning rides around the neighborhood, which also have a large degree of pavement.  Today was different. I had the car for the evening, and several large tasks at work were finalized today and once I was sure all pleadings were properly in the mail, I sprinted out of the office at 4:45. My plan for the evening was to hit Fort Ben, despite the 93 degree heat.

The plan also involved the first trail ride for my new singlespeed. As I mentioned in earlier, posts, I rebuilt my Monocog 29er with a new frame. The Monocog was a solid bike but it was also very heavy. With an eye towards climbing faster, and entering a few races in a singlespeed category, I rebuilt the bike around a Sette Razzo 29er frame.

Upon first hitting the trail I immediately noticed the difference between steel and aluminum. The dampening qualities of the steel made for a smooth ride over roots and rocks. The aluminum not so much. The ride was at first notably rougher, although by the end of the ride it was much less noticeable. The handling was also faster. Although I kept the same fork, a Tora TK coil, which weighs a ton, the bike was much faster in corners and almost seemed twitchier with more precise steering in technical areas. Not everything was good though. As my ride continued, various noises began to pop up. I think one ‘clink’ was attributable to a not tight enough rear skewer (yikes). However, another was a squeak sound (imagine a squeaky door hinge) which seemed to pop up at various times. I stopped twice to investigate but could never find the source. Lastly, something is up with the rear tire. While riding to the trail head, I felt a bobbing sensation from the back of the bike. It appears the Continental tire is spinning somewhat unevenly, like it may not be seated properly. I didn’t notice it on the trail, but on pavement it was quite obvious. Add that to the glitch list to be addressed.

Overall, the bike did well and was definitely faster than the Monocog. The chain tension and chainline seem good, as I had no dropped chains. It should be fun to race on later this summer. Here is the bike as it stands now:

Frame: Sette Razzo 29er, size XL

Front Wheel: Sun Ringle Rim laced to a DT Swiss Hub (Kenda Nevegal 2.2 tire)
Rear Wheel: WTB Laserdisc 29 laced to a Deore XT hub (Conti X-King 2.2 tire)
Fork: Rock SHox Tora TK 29er, 100 mm
Crank: Deore LX, with Salsa 32T front ring
Chain: Sram PC-1
Rear Cog: Surly 18T
Brakes: Avid BB7 w/ cleansweep rotors
Stem: Race Face (need to check the specific type)
Handlebar: Ritchey Comp
Grips: Ergon GL2
Saddle: WTB Rocket V

Lastly, a brief report on the Rangeline Rampage Time Trial on Saturday. I sucked. The course was more difficult than I remember, which when combined with racing a bike I have only ridden a handful of times, resulted in a very bad time. The full suspension bike was the right choice, but I had some issues with technical sections which caught me by surprise and resulted in poor lines, as well as several short and steep uphills (often topped with roots) which the bike was having problems getting over. Overall, I was not thrilled with the result, but it was for a good cause and my expectations for the race were already low. Next up is the DINO race at Versailles this weekend.