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.