More RXC Pictures

The bike was built for the two races I plan to do this year: Leesburg Bakers Dozen and SM100, both I did on SS last year. The frame is a 2008 Racer X carbon that I bought off Chainlove. 2425 grams actual weight on my digital scale. The carbon front was about twice as thick as my other bikes', definitely an over-engineering IMO. The frame was finished fairly well in the factory - especially the rear triangle. The front could use a little more attention, though. For example, the head tube top and bottom were not as smooth as one would expect. I even thought about how to face them.

Chris King and CrossMax SLR were the two top choices I had. I love King's durability and engagement. Mavic factory wheel's stiffness and light weight also make perfect sense for the bike. In the end, I found a set of SLR wheels for about half off MSRP, so here they are.

The Fox fork was originally bought for the Seven but did fit. Perfect for the X!

Elixir CR - never had any experience with the brake. Guess I will find out. The G3 rotor looks pretty cool.

Originally I had the idea of using road RD and cassette. I thought the SRAM road rear derailleur should work with XO shifter since they both are claimed to be 1:1 - wrong! The 10 speed SRAM FORCE RD finished the whole 9-spd travel in 7 clicks on the XO :( . Replaced it with a long cage XO and it works like a charm. The Dura Ace 9-spd derailleur is a gem, 176 g, 12-27t.

Thomson Masterpiece seatpost shaved away Thomson's signature oval shape internal to save some 100 grams weight. Hopefully it will hold up.

I had to replace BB bearings that came with the Race Face Deus crankset, because the plastic shim was pushed out and broken during the install. No problem, I have all the tools and a Enduro upgrade kit handy, and the job was done in less than 5 minutes. The Under Belly Plate
is certainly unique, not sure how useful it is, though.

The two Continental Mountain King 2.2 Supersonic tires are about 980 g - another way to cut some weight. The actual tire width is slightly under 2.05 (claimed to be 2.2). These are so far the narrowest and lightest tires I used.

Can't wait to get out and give it a spin - but it's raining outside. Looks like I may have to wait till the week of LBD to find out how it rides.

X

Completed! 23.0 lb on my bathroom scale, 23.04 lb by adding up all the components weight.

MoCo Epic

Photo by Denis.

Tire

Continental Mountain King Supersonic 2.2 - actual width 2.05. Actual weight: one at 460 grams and one at 520 grams.

Al, Fe, C, Ti

Just realized I've got them all :). The C will probably not see too much dirt, maybe 5-10 rides a year. Al and Fe will continue to be most-picked for Frederick and MoCo. Ti will have its chance when winter comes.

Project X Update

Found out the SRAM FORCE 10-spd rear derailleur didn't work with the SRAM XO 9-spd shifter (they both claim to be 1:1). I wasn't happy with the SRAM 970 9-spd road cassette either, so I went out again to source some more good parts. The project is slowly moving ahead.

In picture: a beautiful Dura Ace 12-27t 9spd cassette on a CrossMax SLR.

Marco

Fun Stuff in the Shed

This is how we deal with emergency situations

3/14/09 - VW trail, Frederick Watershed.

Winter Is Over, Finally!

It was 70+ degree today after a major snow storm just the past Monday. Bunch of us scheduled a ride in the Shed, fully prepared to bail if the trails were bad.

When I arrived at Hamburg, there was standing water in the parking lot. I quickly scanned the trailheads. Both sides (north and south) were actually dry, not even damp. While I was changing, a group of guys came back from their ride and reported the trails were not as wet as they had thought. Their bikes were pretty clean, no signs for a muddy ride. Good!

Denis and I did the little twisty trail off Hamburg north. That section was 95% dry and 5% damp. No muddy area. We came back on the road to meet up with Brian and Marco in the parking lot. Then set off south, took the fire road up to VW trail, and did the twisty trail backwards. Brian peered off at that point. Denis, Marco, and I pressed on and completed the rest of the ride. We went through Enchanted Forest, Little Canaan, FCR to Salamander, Viper and Pit, then came back on the ridge to Thurmon Overlook, climbed up the Blue, went down Death March, and took FCR back to the parking lot. The entire route was pretty much dry, except for a few areas on the Blue to Death March. The soft ground there almost gave me a cramp, which I haven't had for a few years. Luckily that part of the trail was wide enough for us to pick relatively good lines.

I was really glad that Frederick held up to its reputation. 20 miles ride in shorts and ss jersey felt really good after a long winter.

Photo 1: Marco climbed up the Blue
Photo 2: Me stuck on a log (photo credit Denis)

Snow day ride