Yesterday's Ride...

...started a bit sluggish.  My stomach was not cooperating in the morning - maybe it was the tuna the night before, maybe it was the sugar-bomb oats & coffee - but I was still out the door by 9am and on the trail by 9:44 am.  The bike was set-up before I left with:

• 110 psi in the fork
• 280 psi in the shock (5 lower than usual)
• 20 psi in the front tire
• 26 psi in the rear tire

I had suited up for a warm day:

• Primal road bibs
• Twin Six Metal jersey
• Sock Guy socks
• Giro lid
• Giro gloves
• new Nike glasses (clear)
• Lake shoes
• 1x bottle with 2x scoops of Skratch
• 1x bottle of water, straight

Rolling out was a typical roll-out at Browns - a ranch road with shit-tons of clueless geriatric hikers.  All over the trail, no clue that anyone was around until they jump away scared after I announce myself.  Trying to be nice is harder when the seniors' meds haven't reduced the aggravated scowl.  Soon enough I turn on Chuckwagon.

The lower saddle definitely felt different as I grind my way up the first rolling climb.  The allergy meds I have been taking ever since the trees in the 'hood began blooming are making their presence known as well.  It seems to take forever (but only about 20 minutes) for my lungs to open up & my breathing to settle into a harder rhythm.  Still I climb, I drop down to Whiskey Bottle and start up Watershed.  The pace gets eased off until I reach Cholla Mountain where I stop and let my heart rate get into Zone 1.

Still only 17 minutes in, I kick the pedals over and start up the climb.  This is the same climb I did intervals on a few weeks ago with the singlespeed.  Pacing the climb is not too hard but you have to accept it is gonna SUCK when you hit that one last tight switchback.  My heart rate quickly gets into Zone 3.  "Just manage it well" is the only thought in my head until I glance down and see Zone 4.  Now I am pretty much hammering, I guess.

In my head I am distracted though.  The front end seems to be skating through corners.  Am I too far back over the saddle?  Do I need to be over the bars more?  The internal conundrum is split between lowering the bars again despite NO sign of tension in my hands.  This is nice.  And my back is doing well - the pedaling feels smoother and my lower back hasn't even made a noise.

I come over the top of the climb and it gets clearer that my speed is higher.  Was the front end skating 'cause I am not used to going THIS fast on this trail?  Possibly.  Stay in the gas, left at the intersection and the last corners are just being attacked rather than ridden.  I pop over the top and start the downhill

Hold up, let's look at numbers:

• I was indeed going faster.  My previous PR was tied @ 7:22 on May 2nd, 2023 and January 22, 2026 (the singlespeed ride).  My NEW PR is 6:34 - 1.1 mph faster than before.  So... yeah, the front end was skating.

Down the other side of Cholla Mountain, stop at Stagecoach to breathe and eat some Shot Blocks.  Any idea I had about riding this loop as ONE BIG EFFORT is out the window.  My lungs, my heart, my legs and my brain cannot team up and make this happen (well, unless I decide to NOT attack climbs and ride like I am riding all-day... duh.)  As I lumber down Stagecoach, the momentum in my brain to push harder is lost.  

The trails, all of Browns... not just Stagecoach, are LOOSE with gravelly sand in the middle all the way to the outside of the corner.  After a few skippin' turns, my confidence in leaning into anything is gone.  So, Stagecoach to High Desert... and for the first time in the ride, I begin to feel some issues.  My lower back was whispering but the outside of my knees into my shins were aching - the sign of a saddle too low.  I ease off the pace, reach Renegade and pause to... lower the saddle.

Yep, the opposite of what I was thinking but something I wanted to try.  In the past multiple times, what I think I should is not what I should do.  Push the saddle down a bit and take off.  

The bike felt weird but oddly comfortable.  Any tension in my right hand was gone.  I am able to climb just fine but after any hard effort, my outside knees are twinging.  This isn't gonna work.

And no wonder it wasn't gonna work 'cause when I stop at Cowpoke Trail, the saddle has slipped CONSIDERABLY.  Raise the saddle to a point close to where it was and I start grinding up Cowpoke.  The aches and pains are gone... even at my knees, but there is a strain in my quads that is new.  Not painful, just a sign that my quads are kicking harder than usual.  

Still Cowpoke goes by QUICK - my 4th fastest time on the trail outta 22 - but I am winded at the top.  Stop, raise the saddle maybe 2mm, adjust the shifters... again before I hear someone approaching.  I take off 'cause... well, I wanna hammer this one, too.

By the way, the shifters:

• I am still back on the bandwagon of the rocker paddles.  The multiple options suit me better than the single pod.
• I was still botching the operation.  I even swapped the controls in the app at one point... and switched em' back.

So... up Granite Mountain was all I expected - hard, sprinting efforts outta the corners all while going uphill.  My heart rate was solidly in Zones 3 & 4 but still felt good.  Past two old women who just acted pissed and one old guy who I think woulda hung out and talked if I had stopped instead of slowed.  Over the top, take another break... and take inventory.

My lower back was STILL good.  My hands were good.  I felt like I found the right spot... but it seemed the testing was over.  The west side of Granite Mountain was so dry and so thick with sand that it felt like every corner was a challenge to hang onto an upright bike.  I eventually gave up, settled into cruising and kept coasting.

Out past Balanced Rock & onto Chuckwagon, the last test was coming - Vaquero Trail.  When I reached Powerline Road, there was a longer pause to take inventory again.  This time was more about how much energy do I have.  Eat my last Shot Blocks, sip some water and tell myself, "Self, just ride hard... but be as SMOOOTH as possible."

Roll up, pause to relax once more.  Heart rate drops into Zone 1 and I take off.  While Vaquero Trail is mostly downhill from here, it is a series of short, steep rollers.  The whole trail is only 8/10ths of a mile but it is one of my favorites.  The first climb has me easing in, using the shifters PROPERLY (as in I hit the right buttons at the right times) but after that it was on.  I find myself attacking each uphill, trying to spin moreso than mash.  When I get close to the top, I gear up (with the right button) and hammer away.  Every corner at the bottom is a sketchy mess of deep sand and ruts but the Mach Wu gets through.  When I come outta the last corner, it felt like a good run.

How good?:

• the PR was set back in June on the Mach Wu, 4:03.  Yesterday it was a 4:11
• Comparing the efforts on Strava, I gave up 9 seconds on the approach to the first climb.  After 1 minute or so, my time gap dropped by 1 second by the end.

I roll out on to Browns Ranch Road, winded, cooked and done.  Ease up over the top, past more hikers... even more closer to the trailhead, some taking the trail 3-wide.  At this point I had already announced myself 3,4 times and was just riding by with less regard... and they never seemed to mind, ignoring my calls.  Enh, old people.

Back at home, we ate lunch, Bea and I took a nap.  Once I was back to functioning, the Mach Wu was set up to be measured.  The numbers were not as far off as I expected:

• final saddle height was 832mm, 2mm more than I started with, probably 5mm higher than the lowest point.
• the setback dropped by 2mm just from the drop.
• the drop is 49mm, 5mm more than the start.

Ironically I am not far from where I was in September.  Those measurements only changed back in January after doing a MyVeloFit session that raised the saddle 3mm and set it back 7mm.  After the first ride with that setup at Cave Creek, I dropped the bars on my own... but raised em' back up after Sunday's McDowell ride with saddle too high and bars seemingly too low.

There is a part of me that wants to lower the bars yet again, put more weight over the front.  Here's my thinking:

• If the saddle is too high, it makes me rock my hips & places weight on my hands disproportionately. 
• If the saddle is the right height now, my hands might be feeling better because there is less weight thrown on them from NOT rocking.
• So... will a lower handlebar create the same issue?  While my hips should be balanced, there is still a certain amount of core strength engaged to keep my hands light on the bars.
• So... will a 5mm spacer drop make a difference in 1) feel and 2) handling?

My plan, for now, is to try it out on the ride AFTER the next ride.  Verify that what I felt yesterday was indeed good and not just luck.

Later.

When the Dust Settled...

 ...and I was back home on the couch, the havoc that seemed was being wreaked was not as bad as it seemed.  My knees were fine, my lower back came back to normal in short order but my energy levels were tanked.  It was a good hour before my ass was off the couch and in the garage.  There was less worry about the bike (which did just fine) but more concern over how do I make the long rides more tolerable?

After studying my position on the other bikes (the road bike, the gravel bike & the singlespeed), the saddle was dropped a bit and slid back a bit.  Compared to the Smurf (the singlespeed), the saddle is now 6mm lower and almost identical in setback (center of the crankset to the center of the saddle).  However, the stem is still 20mm closer & the bars are 13mm closer & 12mm higher on the Mach Wu.  Why did I eschew my faith in the Smurf's last ride?

That last ride wasn't a HARD ride - it was 2 1/2 hours filled with:

• 1 hour of dawdling in a conga line
• 30 mins of Z2 following
• 10 mins of Z4 hammering
• 5 mins of fast downhill
• ...lots of easy cruising
• ...LOTS of standing around between efforts

Comparing Sunday's 150 minute sufferfest was almost night to day.  I didn't let up very much during that ride... and couldn't - it was all uphill (except for Lariat) for 90 minutes.  That last ride that was comparable was the Powerline > Maricopa Trail ride on the DiiVerge... so I compared those numbers:

• the DiiVerge's saddle is 833mm from the crank (3 less than the Smurf, 3 more than the Mach Wu now)
• the setback is 247mm (8 less than the Smurf, 7 less than the Mach Wu)
• the drop (saddle to bars) is 53mm (3 less than the Smurf, 9 more than the Mach Wu)

If you make a triangle from a drawing of all three bikes, the triangle of the DiiVerge more closely resembles the Mach Wu now... if you tilt the triangle back (thus moving the center of the triangle more over the center of the bike... which is what I want with a mountain bike). (No, I have not created an exact scientific model of any of my claims... but I trust what I see in my head.  If I get very serious, I can create a model in Illustrator to test my theory.)

The bar height of the Mach Wu is good despite the vast difference to the Smurf.  The Smurf defintiely has that feel of a RACE position intended for smooth, fast trails with few obstacles.  At the moment the saddle height is likely not wrong but the setback may be too much.

Tomorrow will be the test.  I have a route laid out:

Here's the plan:

• warm-up on Chuckwago & Watershed - simple climb, try to stay in Zones 1 & 2.  Get a feel for how the bike feels
• Cholla Mountain will be the first test.  The plan is to not attack hard but definitely get into Zone 3 quick & end in Zone 4.
• down the back side, take Stagecoach to High Desert to Renegade...
• Renegade will be the most technical trail of the ride (so not terribly technical but really fun).  I should be able to get a feel of how well I can move around
• 136th St Express will be easy, chill.. mostly Zone 1 if I can help it 'cause...
• Cowpoke will be the start of the final climb which will transition to Granite Mountain.  This'll be a Zone 3 effort again, maybe Zone 4 at the top if I am feeling good and smooth.
• down Granite Mountain 'cause it's fun.  Ease out Balanced Rock to Chuckwagon to...
• Vaquero will be the last squeeze of effort - Zone 4 most likely, pushing the bike to go as hard as I can...

The whole ride is only 15.8 miles & 920 feet of climbing... so it likely won't last more than 90 minutes or so.  Aside from any adjustments I made stop to make, there likely won't be much stopped time at all.  The rest of the details (clothing, pressure settings) will be sorted out tomorrow... but considering how warm it is in the Valley right now, I can't imagine much more than a jersey, a base layer and regular bibs.  If I carry two bottles, it is only because I want the bike to have it's typical long-ride "feel".

Later.

When Ya Think A Ride is Gonna Be Easy...

 ...and it is at the start... but then one hour in you find yourself at the lowest point in elevation with a steady heart rate in Zone 3, the idea that ya might be fucked into doing more work than expected really starts to settle in.  That was the situation yesterday at the start of the last climb up the north end of Escondido Trail.  The stem had just been raised one 10mm spacer after my right hand was getting increasingly more uncomfortable.   The realization of "ah fuck, I have about 12 miles of steady climbing to do before I am back at the truck" was heavy... but the realization of no other choice was plopped there, sitting on my chest like a sumo wrestler.

Let's back up.  My original plan had been to jump in a local Meetup group ride. There was excitement at the start of the week when the ride description came up... even if it was a similar to the one I did couple weeks ago on the gravel bike.  As the week wore on and my attention had directed more into dialing in the Mach Wu (my '22 Pivot Mach 4 SL), the interest in jumping into a slower-than-usual rip on the same trails waned and was leaning more towards doing something to test out the changes on the Mach Wu.

About a month ago I started the process of re-testing my bike fit(s) on the bikes.  Using MyVeloFit, an AI-driven version similar to Retul's fit system, the Canyon was the first bike to be checked over... with basically no changes.  The Mach Wu was next... with more changes suggested, simply a slightly lower saddle and higher bars.  A few days later the bike is being tested in Cave Creek Regional Park on some sloppy-rocky trails.  My lower back was barking at the end pretty loudly.

Now mix in the feels (and measurements) from the last ride on the Smurf (my '17 Soma Juice singlespeed geared 32x20) and the conundrum of what is/is not working grows.  The Smurf has a higher saddle set further back and extremely low (for me) bars.  The last time I rode it was on one on the Meetup group rides.  While much of the ride was slow and dawdling along, it was 2 1/2 hours on the bike... with no lower back issues.  There were also moments of really grinding hard into the gears (that will be key to this tale later).

Back to yesterday - the Meetup ride got shrugged off around lunchtime on Saturday after Meghan and I found ourselves on the second bottle of wine at this cool restaurant.  My momentum had already been waning 'cause the new position on the Mach Wu needed testing... and my propensity for tolerating people was running low.  Most mountain bikers are cool but Meetup groups tend to attract a broad variety.  The past week had been a test of my ability to tolerate ALL people... so the decision to ride solo was made.  

Get up yesterday morning feeling the effects of lunchtime booze, eat breakfast and by 10 am, I am on the road.  Roll into a crowded Tom's Thumb parking lot, suit up lighter than expected 'cause while it feels cold and windy, the temps are gonna come up.

• Twin Six gravel bibs (with the built-in pockets
• Pearl Izumi base layer
• Pearl Izumi loose jersey
• DeFeet wool arm warmers
• Giro lid
• Giro gloves
• ??? socks
• Lake shoes
• new Nike glasses (clear)
• two bottles - 1x w/ Skratch, 1x just water
• Shot Block in my pockets
• 
  

  The Mach Wu is already aired up to:

• 110 psi in the fork
• 285 psi in the shock
• 21 psi in the front tire
• 26 psi in the rear tire

Turn the bike down Caballo 'cause dealing with hiking tourists right away sounds miserable.  As I roll in my heart rate is climbing EASY, really easy... likely from the Allegra I have been popping at night to stave off a stuffy sinuses.  The bike feels good but my right knee is taking a bit to loosen up.  Right onto the main trail, right on Rock Knob.  

Easing my way down takes a bit simply 'cause the trail is DRY and gravelly.  Skipping tires in corners is easy especially when I come in too hot (as I did on the second turn).  Round a corner and there are 4,5 geriatric women on mountain bikes (well, I assume geriatric but they had no more gray than I do) stopped in the middle of the trail.  One moves left, the other three barely move right and the one in front on the right points as if she is telling me where I am supposed to go.  I veer a bit, tell her, "oh... no shit" as if I didn't fully understand that running head-on into someone would impede my flow... brah-ette?

Keep rolling, loosen up.  Reach the Rock Knob, take the right turn 'cause the next downhill is pretty fun.  Chunky, narrow line turns back into smooth wide trail soon enough and the pace settles down.  The climbs are sending me out of Zone 2 a bit easier than expected but I have nowhere to be... so shift down, grind away.  Ease past a few hikers, meet a few bikers and most of em' even say "hey".  It's when I see the turnoff to Tonto Tank that I realize I went the wrong way from where I wanted to go (down Bluff).  As I slow down, the sound of scratching tires gets LOUD and I glance right to see some scrawny, wrinkly racer boi speed off.  No "rider back", no "on your right"... just an angry old guy itching to show someone else he's faster on the greenway portions of Pemberton Trail.

Rolling down Tonto Tank was... boring.  I am kicking over a pretty hard gear, keeping the pace up but the urge to dig any deeper is minimal.  Launching a few water bars was the most excitement I get until I reach the lower end of Pemberton.  Take a break, turn left and head to Scenic Trail.  Right turn, Scenic is really sandy and full of pretty nice hikers.  Scenic turns to Cinch... and soon Escondido, the trail I wanted to hit most.

Escondido Trail is something over 5 miles long and is carved into the most northeastern part of McDowell Mountain Park.  It is also at the lowest elevation.  The surface though is unique to the park, feeling almost like a lunar landscape with less vegetation and black rocks.  In the driest times, the silt gets thick.  To my surprise when I checked Strava, it has only been ridden 4 times (by me) since I first came up in February 2015.

By now the clock has ticked off about 35 minutes.  I tell myself, "self, you likely won't get another break until all the roller climbs are over... so just settle in!"  Pretty soon it is clear that the Belgian Waffle Ride must be using this trail next weekend 'cause there are gravel bikers coming from the other direction (...sure enough they are.  I just checked the race website and Escondido is part of the route.)  Depending on where we meet and how rough the terrain, the gravel bikers' face reflect their confidence.  The only one who looked truly comfortable was the State Bicycle Guy who was navigating the babyheads like pavement.  The rest looked truly nervous (or unnerved?) having to contemplate a surface worse than a washboard.

As I begin riding Escondido myself, I start to feel good - legs are looser, my heart rate still high but under control.  The bike feels GOOD - the setback saddle position has opened up more room, the lower-tilted levers feel more natural and the increased sweep of the bars is more comfortable... for a bit.  The big surprise for me was the switch to the (cheaper) rocker-style AXS shifter.  

When I switched to AXS on the Mach Wu, there was a certainty in my knoggin' that having the various shift positions would work well for me.  However I struggled with one thing - which button did what.  I would upshift when I wanted to downshift.  I would forget what the more forward-positioned button did and would botch it.  So I ditched the rocker paddle & bought a single pod "Ultimate".  While button-confusion faded, the feel was never right.  It often felt like I was overstretching my thumb to catch a shift... if I shifted at all.  Also factor in my desire to use the Togs by the grips, taking pressure off my palm at times, and flopping my thumb all around became a chore.   So I switched back to the rocker to see if it would feel better the second time around...

And it did.  I cannot lie and say I shifted perfectly every time... but I did appreciate the smoother transition when shifting from the Tog-supported grip.  The flow of my thumb was easier and also having the index finger option (like old Shimano stuff!) was great.

Anyways... the ride is going well.  The bike just handles anything in its way.  The new-to-me-in-the-last-year tire combo of Forekasters, front AND rear is gripping better than expected (more on that later).  At some point towards the last roller, my lower back begins to bark and my right hand is aching a bit more.  Of course that leaves my brain is this multi-tasking mode of riding a bike and deciphering a solution to my issues.

So I stop, remove the steerer tube tool kit and raise the stem 10mm.  8 minutes later I am back to riding and my hands feel pretty good the rest of the day.

At this point I am on the longer climb up Escondido.  This was when my lower back was pretty much letting me know that all the work I did attacking the short punches before is gonna cost me for the rest of the ride.  That was when the ride (like so many others before) becomes a matter of how slow do I go to get some relief versus how fast do I go to end the misery.  

Surprisingly the tension eases off as I find a middle ground.  I reach Pemberton & stop to eat Shot Blocks as an e-biker passes, nary a wave nor a glance.  Turn right and start up Pemberton.  Settling into a rhythm, I feel SLOW (although this would be my 11th fastest of 21 tries on Strava).  The quandary became not managing my effort but dealing with the downhill riders.  

The worst of the bunch was the older crowd - white hair, brightly-colored jackets and stems as high as possible.  No one has ever mentioned learning etiquette so sharing the trail is foreign.  They just think moving over a small bit is acceptable... if they move over at all.  Grateful Dead Guy was certainly taking his half from the middle as he blasted past me.  Mix this crowd with racer-boi or -girl gravel riders and I only made it as far as Lariat before I veered off Pemberton.

Lariat felt sluggish but the headwind was strong and honestly I was stiffer than expected... likely from the hangover, likely from fatigue.  I did loosen up a bit but too soon I was on Delsie.  Settle into a pace that manages the lower back tension, a good cadence and a Zone 3 heart rate.  I was standing every so often, click up 2 gears and mash until I ran outta gear.  Settle back down and spin away.  Past an older guy on a day-glo green Orbea.  Past one couple stopped so one could pee behind a bush.  When I reach the Ramada, I roll past to cross the gate...and I flop onto the ground.  That last effort cooked me.

Four minutes later I am back on the bike.  See the same e-biker from before turn to go north at the next intersection.  Keep trudging for the next 15 minutes to get to Rock Knob... but in that 15 minutes I realize how wasted I am.  My body is still working but the aches & pains are creeping in.  My knees feel fine but my lower back has that dull ache of being overworked.  My hands are good but the rest of my upper body is just tired.  Just staying at a comfortable pace of "get this over with" is keeping my heart rate in high Zone 3.

Past two other riders and onto Rock Knob and death would felt easier.  There is no other way to attack these uphill rollers than to sit and grunt 'cause the surface is simply that loose.  When I spy Caballo, my brain is in a Zone 4 haze.  Ease off to the right and grunt out the last bit to the parking lot.  With only 1/8 of a mile pavement left to the truck, there is nothing left and I slump over the bars in the parking lot... still only 1/8 mile away.  My heart rate starts dropping, my labored breathing settles... and finally suck it up and grind up to the truck.

More about the aftermath tomorrow!  Later.