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Race cyclocross / off road racing

I take it back, the Grinduro actually sounds like fun. Guess I need to buy a CAADX and some offroad shoes, since breaking my collarbone ruined my summer racing season... Girlfriend would kill me if I did, though.
Yeah, negotiating with your sponsor is hard. I noticed that some models of the 3T Strada are on sale (half price, 330,000 ¥ with the better Team-level frame, carbon wheels and carbon accoutrements, an amazing deal). I proposed that half-jokingly, half-seriously. You should have seen that side eye she gave me, it was epic 😁
 
Tried out the new shoes and pedals today.

Link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



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「cx new shoes / pedals ride & double blow out」

first ride on new shoes / pedals

first time to use mtb pedals and cleats

set up identical to my road shoes

double sided pedals should be easier to clip in

but the cleat feels to be in a different position for clipping in

just practice I guess

1km the kenno rindo
a rough steepish climb
mostly coarse gravel
with a few concrete sections

hammer it up

what's the best line?
tyre tracks are rough but easy to follow

once again
need a bigger cassette on the back

6 minutes at the top
KOM pace?

fast down the windy descent

here is where skills are important

the right shoe unclips
pedal not tight enough?

get her back in

then a real rough section!

both shoes unclip!
the bottle flies out!
and a double puncture!

don't panic
bring the bike to a gradual halt

the 3rd time to puncture on this descent

punctures seem to happen where gravel turns to concrete or vice versa

need to think about tyre pressure, 3psi today

tyre type, maybe these kenda tyres aren't good enough?

and tyre set up, tubular or tubeless?

and of course my cycling skills!
 
3psi???? I'm guessing that's a typo 😜.

Are you running tubes at the moment?

Yeah, 3 bar.

Two more punctures coming down Mt. Yoneyama just now.

The thread on the second cartidge wouldn't take the adapter (so long sat in my road bike saddle bag and never a puncture!) so another ride home on the rim.

That shredded the rear tyre, so I don't feel so bad about binning it!

These are clinchers. Everyone is telling me I need tubeless.

Will go to the shop now to see what we can do.

Andy

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That's quite a few punctures. Did you put magnets in your rims?

How does the bike feel?

I think the common consensus is that I was running tyre pressure too low.

People were advising 20 to 30 psi, but in hindsight that was perhaps for soft muddy cyclocross.

For hard rocky surfaces, perhaps around 50 psi is better.

Will experiment a bit with higher pressure...

Andy
 
Riding my road bike (my only bike) for the first time in two months and I remembered just how harsh the ride is with the crappy local roads. And how hot it gets when you ride on asphalt! I could really use an off-road bike...haha.

I don't have any more room for bigger tires in the rear though, I am already getting black marks on the chainstays.
 
Riding my road bike (my only bike) for the first time in two months and I remembered just how harsh the ride is with the crappy local roads. And how hot it gets when you ride on asphalt! I could really use an off-road bike...haha.

I don't have any more room for bigger tires in the rear though, I am already getting black marks on the chainstays.
Sounds like you need to invest in a new bike with 50mm tyre clearance 😜
 
@andywood yeah tyre pressure is much more important off road it seems. I went in the other direction - too high pressure for starters. went with 40psi (on 47mm tyres) and it was definitely too much. felt good on the road, but was bouncing on rocks when things got more technical. lowered it to 35 psi for the ride yesterday, and it felt much better (tho there was only 1-2 km off road descent, the rest on tarmac). I think I'll get one of those portable pressure gauges, so I can lower it when things get rough, and pump it up a bit when I reach paved parts again. no punctures yet, knock on keyboard
 
I actually have a portable gauge, and I was thinking the same thing, higher pressure for the road and then drop it when you reach the offroad.

I should perhaps buy a hand pump too (instead of just using CO2 cartridges) so I can make minor adjustments on the go...

Andy
 
I should perhaps buy a hand pump too

just ordered this thing off rakuten, small portable gauge which can also take a pump on the other end for pumping it up while measuring. small thumb releaser too, for measured dropping of the pressure. looking forward to playing with this. it's topeak shuttle gauge digital. in Japan sells for under 6000 yen. saw it on wiggle for 63usd but sold out...

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just ordered this thing off rakuten, small portable gauge which can also take a pump on the other end for pumping it up while measuring. small thumb releaser too, for measured dropping of the pressure. looking forward to playing with this. it's topeak shuttle gauge digital. in Japan sells for under 6000 yen. saw it on wiggle for 63usd but sold out...

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I guess you've already ordered it, but you can pick them up for 1,000 yen or less.

Basically you over inflate the tyre and then use the gauge to seep out the air till the desired pressure.

Andy
 
yeah, but with this one I felt I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things. first off, just over inflating 47mm tyres - you know what that involves, with the carry-on small pump? I don't have it in me. then I've seen all the bad reviews where people have those break and/or malfunction soon... one can never tell, but I hope this one's a bit sturdier. and allowing for measuring while both inflating and deflating makes things so much easier out on the (off) road.
 
I actually have a portable gauge, and I was thinking the same thing, higher pressure for the road and then drop it when you reach the offroad.

I should perhaps buy a hand pump too (instead of just using CO2 cartridges) so I can make minor adjustments on the go...

Andy

This is what I do when riding a mix of off-road and tarmac. Low pressures feel sluggish on the way to the trails and high pressures lack grip on the trails, so it's a good compromise. Generally, the best pressure range is where punctures don't happen.
 
For anyone interested in the Grinduro route I found it in a magazine.

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Not a detailed map, but with Nojiriko lake and the start/goal at Madarao ski area as your reference points, you should be able to cross reference those trails to a decent map.

Andy
 
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