Kickstart 2014 // First spin of the new year

The first spin of the new year. It's always planned and it's always special in a way. This one was extra special, especially because it happened only for the second attempt. :)

We had a nice spin scheduled for the 1st of Jan but the weather was so miserable that is nearly impossible to describe. Long story short: we cancelled the mountain bike ride. So, to celebrate things I had a lovely hot cup of tea that I was saving for after the ride. Lashing rain, about 3 degrees temperature and me sitting in the car sipping away the my tea that was rapidly picking up the taste of the plastic cup. Lovely...what more I could wish for hah?! :) 

Anyway! We mountain bikers never give up (not easly anyway) so there's always another day for riding my bike. And that day was today: brilliant sunny afternoon with very little wind and mild temperature. Off I went and I managed to have a good 45 km mountain bike spin around the Leadmines and Threerock. Trails were excellent around Leadmines but I have to admit that Threerock was a freakin' disaster. Very wet it was with mud up to my knees. Lovely!

So, first spin of the new year: it's done & dusted! It was lovely and was defo enough to make up for yesterdays cancellation. If all my spins will be as good as this one I will have a fantastic 2014! Can't wait! 

Giant Talon 29er 1 // 29er Test Spin # 2

After my first 29er test back in Hungary I was buzzing and I didn't rest until I got a demo bike for the weekend so I got to try the big wheels on my home trails in the Wicklow Mountains. Roots, rocks, tight switchback turns & trail centres were all waiting for me and the beast looking Giant Talon 29er 1!

After a few modifications the machine was ready to rock!

So, the main plan was to give the 29er a proper try on all those trails that I'm usually riding on. This way I can really compare it with the 26" bike. The route that I've picked had some nice combination of a bit of everything: tarmac road, fire road, rocky trails, forest trails, sweet techical climbs & descents.

My first destination was the Leadmines and of course the Epic MTB Club Course. One of my favourite XC course that really puts rider & bike under test! Then I went up to Threerock to do some natural trails and the Coillte Trails as well to put the bike through a bit different stuff. 

I really gave everything I got today and I'm very happy with how this spin turned out. Enjoyed the bike, enjoyed the ride and got another step closer to revolutionize my mountain biking! :)

Thumbs up to the 29er!

My thoughts after the second test ride

• One of the biggest suprise was the fact that I definitely feel comfortable on a M size frame. Flipped the stem to negative and removed all the spacers to have the bar as low as it can be and that's all! The rest of the setup was straight forward comfy!

• These wheels are rolling fast. I mean FAST! It's very easy either to get up to a high speed with them or to maintain the speed with less effort. I noticed this mainly on the road / fire road but also very noticeable on singletracks.  

• Because of the bigger wheels the contact patch is bigger too, so the other thing that was very hard to miss is the added traction. Climbing on steep & technical climbs was easier for sure and the cornering ability of the bike was brilliant as well. Extra speed on uphill and extra confidence in bends. Just can't go wrong! :) 

• The bigger wheels are rolling over obstacles easier and better and I think this was another big thing that I have noticed. Didn't need to place the front wheel that precisely, just let the big wheels take care of it. This and the added traction is the winning combination in my opinion.   

• The only one thing I disliked a bit was the bit poor acceleration. Once the bike is in motion changing the pace is not a bother but building up speed from standing position takes a bit more time. However I'm sure this issue can be fixed with a nice set of light wheels and tyres! :)

Hmm...If you ask me about 29ers about a year ago I would of said that they are not my cup of tea. But now (especially after today's spin) I take the risk and say it out loud: I like them!! The bikes with the big wheels changed a lot, got much better in my opinion. Yes, there is a hidden (or nor so hidden) marketing pressure about them but let's not get into that...

But I can tell: what I experienced on this 29er's saddle today was something that convinced me: it was fast, was just as easy to handle as my 26" XC bike and the overall riding experience was just simply very positive! And that's more than enough for me!! :)

Many thanks to Richie Byrne from Giant Store Dublin for lending me this machine, I appreciate it!

1x9 // Single ring setup - First impressions

After today's super cool & savage mountain bike spin I think it's time to say a few words about how do I feel about running the XC bike with this new 1x9 setup.

I've had two test runs since I converted the bike. One was a fairy short little spin but the second one was a proper tough going. I've picked a route that put the bike under some real testing to see how will I coop with things. 

Test spin at the Leadmines

The key things that I've been looking for were the folloing: how steep climbs I can deal with and the other one was to see how fast I can be on this setup on flat(ish) tarmac / fire roads. Thankfully I got the answers I've been looking for! 

I have 32T chainring on the front and run a 11-34 casette on the back. This way the lightest gear ratio is a bit lighter than 1:1 wich seemed like perfectly fine. I picked some of the hardest and steepest climbs up around Threerock and I managed to coop with them all in the 32-34 ratio. 

But how about the speed? This was one of my main concern before...The fastest gear is 32-11 and that is fast enough to be able to still spin into a bit at about 40-42 km/hour speed. Let's be honest: that is perfectly ok for me!

I tested the bike on the Epic Club Course at the Leadmines and also up on Threerock. Did a little on the Wicklow Way as well. I think this way I managed to put the bike through a bit of everything: tarmac climbs, technical XC race course type course, steep off-road climbs, techical downhill and all the rest.

First impressions

I'm impressed! I'm impressed how simple it is and how easy it is to get used to it. I'm impressed how well it works for me on the climbs. I'm impressed how much lighter the bike is this way and how much benefit I have from it. 

I like it. I like it a LOOOOOT! :)

Savage Saturday MTB Spin

Wow, this morning's MTB spin was absolutely brilliant! I was very happy to be able to get out on the bike mainly because I've been fighting with some technical issues on the XC bike in the last few days. The rear XTR shifter decided to give up on me just 2 days ago and since we couldn't get it back to life I was there: sad & bikeless. Thankfully I got an old LX shifter as loan (big thanks to my colleague & friend Marcin) and after a super fast emergency repair the bike was ready to roll again! Happy days! :)

Since I have only 2 more weeks to go before I race again I've decided to have a spin that contains good off-road bits and also have a bit of road as well just to get some useful miles in. 

I left nice and early, I was on my way at 7:30 am, right after a huge rain storm just hit Milltown. Massive puddles everywhere and the rain came and gone about hundred times as I was making my way up to my first destination of the day, the good old Threerock. After the climb I took the fire road and hopped on the old time favourite Wicklow Way. The weather was absolutely something else! The clouds were sitting right on the mountain and everything was super wet! 

The Wicklow Way was absolutely amazing, real remote location with weather like this!

After all the fun riding on the Wicklow Way I hit the tarmac road and started to head towards Enniskerry village. Passed through the village in no time and turned towards my second destination of the day: the legendery Epic Club Course. At this point I had to take my rain jacket on and off so many times I can't even remember!

Tarmac climb, cross the gate, little more climb and there I was. Hit the club course nice and quick and with no expectations whatsoever about havin' a lap time that is worth to mention...but still! I gave it a good lash! I loved the way it was extremely wet and muddy!!

Wet,wet,wet! The Epic Club Course was simply...epic! :)

   

After all this I got back on the road and started to head back home but before I finished my spin I got up to Threerock once again to get a little more off-road action. Funny enough to see the place empty in the morning and packed about 2 hours later! Quick climb and quick descent afterwards, pure fun! :)

By the time I got home the Garmin had the following data recorded for me: 50 km long spin under 3 hours and 7 minutes with the total elevation gain of 1222m along the way. Happy with that! Today's spin got me re-charged until I get out and ride my bike again, it was an absolutely loveable spin around some of the finest places around my home!

Leadmines // Threerock - Timed lap on the Epic course

This morning the weather got a bit better compare to the terrible conditions over the last couple of days, so needless to say how happy I was to get out on the bike without the risk of hailstones. :)

Today's spin - Leadmines & Threerock

My plan was to get out to the Leadmines and see what I can do on the Epic club course. I haven't been there for a good while now and I was prepared to get some proper slippery time around the well known club course. So after the fast tarmac climb I was feeling good and excited about the whole plan. "This is gonna be great!" I thought when I started my timed lap on the muddy trails. I gave everything I had I guess and when I got the lap done with my personal best of 14 minutes and 35 seconds I was feeling sooo good about myself...until I got back home and uploaded the data to Strava. My lap time was enough to be the 24th best registered time on the club course. Not bad, but I honestly thought I was going a bit faster than that. :) 

After I finished at the Leadmines I turned back towards Threerock and did a little bit of mountain biking there too. I finished just in time before the usual Saturday madness kicked in! Happy days! :) 

On my way home

In the last couple of weeks I've been quiet busy to get ready for the arrival of our Little Baby (painting the room, putting baby furnitures together and going to antenatal classes), so I've been doing spins only once a week. Funny enough, since I spend less time up in the mountains I appreciate my time on the bike lot more. Everytime I get out it feels like just the perfect spin and it wasn't any different this time either. 

I had great time on the bike, I did 2 hours and 20 minutes and covered the distance of 44 km this morning. It was fun ride on the super muddy trails. Conclusion of today's spin: next time I need to calm down after a timed lap 'cause it's not always as good as it seems! :)

WW // Leadmines // Threerock - MTB spin

The temperature has been very friendly today so I decided to take advantage of it and hopped on the MTB to get a good XC training spin done. Wet and damp morning it was, but still very mild though. 

The plan was to have the first short segment of the Wicklow Way done, then hop over to Leadmines to do the Epic Club Course and do a little bit up on Threerock on the way home. So, there was no time to waste on this lovely Saturday morning!

My route this morning

I started to climb the Kilmashogue Lane as a good warmup. After the short tarmac bit and the longer fire road climb I got up to the top and started to descent towards Glencullen when I've seen something that I really liked!

The "brand new"...I should say repaired section of the WW

The downhill section of the WW between the junction of the WW / Dublin Mountain Way and the Ballybrack tarmac road was very critical for a good while. The erosion was huge and it just got worst every year. But this sector has been repaired now! The massive "V" shaped trail has been filled and they put many water drains into it as well. This way the previously tricky enough trail is nice and quick now. There are good few of these "steps" along the way also which, I have to say certenly fun to ride! :)

On the well maintained sector of the WW

When I hit the tarmac road I kept going towards Leadmines where I amied to have a lap on the Epic Club Course. It was muddy and wet but it was just perfect just the way it was. From Leadmines I started to head back towards Stepaside. I got up to Threerock on the way home to have a go on the Metro Trail before I finish my spin for the day. By the time I got to Threerock the place was pack of course so I didn't spend too much time there. From there nearly the whole way is downhill, so I got back home quickly just in time for lunch.

My training spin was 3 hours long and did get 50 km done with a little more than 1000m elevation gain. 'Cause the weather didn't make me suffer this time it was just pure fun! And the fact I visited 3 of my favourite MTB destinations around Dublin just made the ride even better. Loved it! :)

Let's burn off the Mince Pies!

Enough is enough! Christmas was great and everything but it is time to get back to normal. I've been sitting around and eating too much in the last little while. The mission for the day was to get on the bike and get the legs turning and let the lungs open up a bit after all the laziness.

The first feeling that hit me this morning when I got back on the bike was the demand for a real XC spin ASAP! 

So the decision was pretty obvious, I hit the road that leads me to Leadmines and the great Epic Club Course to be precise. This course is my favourite whenever I feel like I want to ride on some sweet XC race course with all the sharp switch backs, rough roots and some steep kicker climbs. Just simply can't beat it! 

I cycled out on the road through Dundrum and Stepaside and got there pretty quickly. Lucky enough, but it was still early so the place wasn't full of walkers and dogs which was certenly a nice thing. I got to the start of the course and started my training wich was 4 laps on the 2.6 km long club course. 

I felt a bit slowish for sure in the first and second lap but got the pace higher during the third one. Well, obviously still way behind the standard that we call good lap time, but my best lap time was 15:23. Here is something to improve before the racing season kicks in! :)

After the 2 hours and 20 minutes and 37,4 km long spin I got home right in time for lunch. I had good time on the bike indeed, riding on that course is always great. I can't deny: I feel the "side effects" of the Festive Season but it'll go away with very little work and I get back on track within few days for sure.

Winter training has began, started in lashing rain

Now, that's what I call rain. Today the weather seemed like it'll never get better, seriously. I was "lucky" enough to enjoy every bit of the proper Irish rainy day during my training session up on the Leadmines and Threerock.

To top that I started my spin with a puncture repair... I took the bike out of the back of my car and there it was: I didn't even get to seat on the bike I did realize that the rear wheel has a puncture. Quick repair and I was on my way to have one hell of a wet day on the bike. :)

The gateway to my new "playground"

I cycled through Dundrum and Stepaside towards my first destination of the spin which was one of my new favourite place, Leadmines. I started to go there a bit more often than I did before and I have to say: it is a cool place to be on the mountain bike. The pretty heavy rain had it's effect on the trails, everything was super slippery and muddy. All the exposed roots were a beast to ride, especially on the Epic MTB club course. It was fantastic! :)

The "blessing" from the sky just kept coming in massive dosis

After my spin on Leadmines I got back to the road that leads back to the city and started to head up towards my old time favourite place, Threerock. 

The tarmac road climb was unbelievable: there was literally a river coming down from the hill! The amount of water on the surface of the road and on the side was crazy. So I did fight my way up on the river in still lashing rain and started my usual off-road session on the super muddy trails. 'Cause the weather wasn't cold and I was fully soaked technically from about 5 minutes into the spin I did not bother too much about the rain, just had fun on the bike. The Boneshaker downhill bit was one of the best descent of the day with some super deep "V" shaped erosion marks on the trails and with huge amount of water. It was like rafting on the bike! Cool! :)

Elevation graph of the spin

Today I have covered 38 km of distance under 2 hours and 10 minutes with 775 m of total elevation gain. The spin wasn't too long but considering the savage weather conditions with lashing rain I think it was long enough to get back to my regular training routine.

I had it planned for the 1st of November to get back into my normal training routine and start my winter preparation for the next season but I felt very good on the bike today and the pace of the spin was nice and intense it did not caunt as an easy off-season ride for sure. So I guess the winter training has launched a bit earlier for me, so bring it on! :)

What a spin! - ThinkBike.ie club spin up on Leadmines

What a spin! Excellent day out on the bike, great group and fantastic trails. An off-season spin could not have been any better. 

Ready to go at the Palmer's Pub carpark

We met at the Palmer's carpark just at the bottom of the Leadmines trails at 8:30 am this morning. I cycled out just as I always do so I got warmed up nicely by the time I got there. 7 of us left from the meeting point and started out excellent club spin on the trails of Leadmines.

The group of ThinkBike.ie mountain bikers :)

We had a great time on the bike, we really enjoyed the good weather. We decided to get up to the top and have a savage and qiuck spin on the well known and famous Epic MTB club course. It is a lovely and technical course that helps a lot to improve many abilities on the bike indeed. 

The map of the Epic MTB club course

After the had a great time on the club course of the Epic guys we aimed towards the crazy steep climb that leads up to the "viewpoint" just next to the Leadmines hills. It was insane: steep and techical climb and the wind was so strong we nearly got rolled over couple of times while we got up to the top. But the view made up for everything: fantastic!

Up on the top!!! :)

Once we got back to the bottom of the hill we have covered some of the most difficult and technical downhill segment that I found up there so far. It was very tricky and steep at some places so I can say it was very challenging for most of us.  Then we have covered most of the trails on the other side of the hill and we hit the tarmac road again that leads back to the carpark. From the carpark I cycled home through Stepaside and Dundrum. 

After the spin at home: shower, change and ready to have lunch :)

Today's spin was my first off-road spin for 2 weeks now and I loved every minute of it I can tell. I missed mountain biking for sure however I enjoy the comfort of my off-season time! :) 

We went out for 2 hours and 30 minutes and covered the distance of  37 km with the total of 810 m elevation gain. It was a perfect spin to get my legs going again and have fun on the bike on this lovely autumn day.

I hope the next week's club spin will be just as fun as today's spin was! Thanks lads, I had great time! Can't wait for next week! :)  

Crossing the mountains in heavy storm

Yesterday I went  out for a 2 hours and 30 minutes spin and got one of the worst storm for a long time. But let's go from the start: I wanted to have a proper spin and the plan was to visit some of the places that I like and have a lovely, long spin for the day.

The first destination on my list was Leadmines. I got there pretty quickly and started to cycle on the Epic Club Course and some of the local trails there. The trails very super sweet and dry, I loved the whole thing!  It was excellent but at that time the colour of the sky started to look pretty weird all right...and not too long after the sky opened up!

Leadmines: still dry

So the rain has arrived and started to get very heavy in no time. Put the rain jacket and kept going towards my next destination on the list. But by the time I got to Enniskerry the weather turned into something else! Even the lights on the street turned on, there was so dark at 10 am in the morning! At that time I was completely soaked and started to feel cold as well, so I changed the plan and started to head towards the Johnnie Fox's Pub.

The route of the day

By the time I got the pub the storm has reached it's peak and started to calm down a little and it has stopped by the time when I got to the Wickow Way. I started to climb on the trail up towards the top while I was fighting with the river that was coming down the side of the mountain. It was brilliant! :)

From the Wicklow Way I crossed the mountain and got to Threerock. I did ride some of my favourite trails before I headed home, of course I never would miss them! :) 

The storm was quiet strong but was still manageable while I was on the bike. But when I got home the cold started to get me and I started to feel: it is not really summer anymore. We can hope for couple of nice days still but the autumn is on the way indeed!

I have covered 44 km of distance and climbed 1020 m during the 2 hours and 30 minutes long spin. The plan was cut shorter a bit then it was planned 'cause of the weather but I still ended up with a lovely spin.  

High paced spin up to Leadmines

Finally the wind has eased up a little after the weekend and today was nice and sunny also. I got out of work in time thanks to the early shift, so I stormed home and got on the bike in no time. I wanted to visit Leadmines for a while now because for some reason I normally don't cycle there. I have seen it clear this afternoon: I should of! :)

I put the earphones in and set up the playlist of one of my favourite band called Tankcsapda and I was ready to go. I got through the mad afternoon traffic all right and hit the road that leads towards Enniskerry. I set the pace pretty high because the plan was to have a short but intense training spin this afternoon. 

After I got to the tower on the top I started the off-road spin on the trails that I knew and even explored some of the "new" ones. The weather was amazing, I was waiting for this for ages to ride in shorts and short sleeves! Lovely! :)


The trails are dusty dry up there so I had to appreciate the conditions even more! :)

After the intense mountain biking I turned back home and cycled back to Dublin on the same road. The spin was only 1 hour and 30 minutes long, I have covered the distance of 31km. This training was ideal during the week and was part of my preparation for the race on Sunday.

Elevation graph

photos

At the tower on the top of Leadmines

Hairpin bend on this super steep technical climb that took me to the top of the hill nearby.

Excellent view from the top :)