Trek Fuel ex 8 29er 2013

At the recently held Giant 2W, my sponsor R&R Sport arranged for me to ride the newly released Trek Fuel ex8 29er which is about to grace the 2014 range. Before I go on I must say a huge thanks to R&R Sport for this: (a) I wasn't looking forward to a downhill relay race on my hardtail, and (b) I really, really wanted to put one of these flash new all-mountain bikes through their paces.

First impressions -the Fuel ex8 is a beasty-looking machine with the big wheels, vertical shock set-up and the charcoal paint job on the alloy frame making it look heavy-duty industrial.  All this made the drive-train seem smaller and discrete.  It made you feel like you were going out there to slay some trails and take no prisoners.  Quite funny really, considering I don't think of downhill as being a strength of mine.

Components.  The ex8 had all Shimano components with SLX brakes (which in my opinion, are just as good as XT), M552 cranks, XT Shadow rear derailleur, SLX front derailleur and shifters. I am personally a great fan of Shimano gear so I was quite pleased with this solid package.

On the front was the FOX Evolution series float 32 forks with 120mm travel and manual lock-out.  To the rear was FOX Evolution series float with 120mm travel as well.  Built to take some big knocks but still having the capability to get up hills.

The Bontager Duster 29er hubs, rim and tyre package felt solid and surprisingly fast rolling with little, if any flex.

While the Fuel ex8 didn't come with a dropper seat post as standard like most all-mountain bikes these days, it didn't feel like it was missing it either.  My overall impression was this bike felt bullet proof  - if it wasn't necessary, it wasn't there - no gimmicks.

But the real test of a bike is on the trails, and the 2W is RotoVegas endurance Super-D at its best - all of the top trails stitched together into 5 brilliant hard-out runs over a single day.  You can read my other post about the race but the Fuel handled everything I threw at it with ease.

The thing that surprised me most was how solid the Fuel felt for a 29er.  I would forget I was on the bigger wheels completely (until I was passing someone).  It was easy to 'pop' the bike over roots and drop-offs, making me confident at tackling some of the more knarly sections that I quite often avoid. 
The back shock took all the impacts with apparent ease  - I genuinely felt nothing, allowing me to race through those technical sections at pace.

Because the shuttle queues could be large I sometimes elected to ride the road back up.  The manual lockout was easy to locate and operate, eliminating the 'bob' and making these climbs quite managable.

As expected the Shimano package performed flawlessly - powerful braking, smooth gear changes and responsive shifting.


Overall impression?  While the Fuel ex8 is the spec below the top alloy 29er Fuel (the ex9), never the less it was still a great ride. The bike felt like the complete package - nothing was missing. At around $NZ 4,400 has to be up there on some-ones shopping list.

At the end of the day, I really didn't want to give it back  - and I guess that's the ultimate test.

Auckland Endura series race 1 (Woodhill) 2013

I've been really busy lately finishing off the rugby season and since it finished only a few weeks before this race I decided that I would just do it to see how I compared to other riders at the start of this race season.

After 2weeks of waiting I was keen to get going (the break had reinvigorated me more than I knew) and was finally going to see how I would do against others. Surprisingly I was not scared/nervous at all - in fact I felt really relaxed about it.

Arriving at Woodhill, it only took a few minutes to get my gear ready (only the bare basics for a puncture, etc). Then I was off to get registered, meeting up with friends that I haven't seen for months and seeing all the other eager racers. It didn't take too long before everyone was lining up at the start line. As the start bell was rung, all the racers jumped off quickly except for me. I was just happy to slowly weave my way through past the slower people, conserving energy and getting a feel for the pace.

I was doing that for almost half of the race until I had found the perfect speed until around the 14km mark as I caught up to fellow Jafa rider Jess.  She was going at a brilliant speed so I decided to hook in behind her.  This allowed me to gain some energy back and preserve that for later.  At one point she tried breaking away from me but I told her "just save your energy, you will need it for the end". Thankfully she eased back and carried on with her great pace.  I could tell she was already very tired and I didn't want her to burn out to early - she was already well ahead of her competition.
 jess getting a lil ahead of me

Jess and I got to the 2nd to last trail (which was about 3km from the finish) still together, and I was feeling really good.  I decided that I would make my move now and see if I could get further in the field.   As I was passing I could sense that Jess wouldn't stay with me - she was too tired. I felt really bad that I had pushed her that hard but I wanted to finish the race as best I could.

 

As was coming down the last hill of the race, only about 300meters ahead was Harriet Beaven (Endura sponsored racer and fellow Jafakid).  This was a challenge! Harriet's one quick lady.

Beginning to sprint I thought I could catch her. After about 30seconds of sprinting I was 5meters from the finish line and was only a bike length from her, and she knew I was there!  Crossing the finish line I was so close to beating the under 19 girls winner. It was awesome.

Laying my bike on the ground we all began sharing stories with each other.  It was great hearing what others had thought of the race track and other things. Not long after Jess crossed the finish line looking really pleased and winning the under 17 girls category.  Massive congrats Jess and Harriet.

At prize giving there was lots of laughter and smiles everywhere. Great atmosphere, great race. I really really enjoyed getting back on my bike and going hard and finishing with a solid 6th place in the under 17s.

My next race will be down in Rotorua doing the Giant 2W - a fun race with some mates which I can not wait for. 

Thanks R&R sport for still supporting me while I had that break for rugby, it's good to be back on the bike.

Auckland secondary school race 3 (woodhill)

7am I'm starting to get up and have breakfast.  Another race day.

I realised that usually I would be all nervous by now, but not this time.  After the recent not-so-great races, I had no pressure on me to achieve a top result.  I decided that this would be a great opportunity to test some ideas I'd had and learn.  The only question was would the learning step be through "brawn or brain" -  injury, mechanical or just my fitness.

Arriving at Woodhill Forest about 8:30am,  I requested dad to stop at the Bike Park so that I could ride to the event venue deep in the forest through the trails as a warm up.  Really wanted to ride the brand new trails (and damn, they are so good - well done Haydz and crew).

Anyway, it took me only 15 minutes to get to the venue and as I lined up to get my number I met a few mates who wanted to go for a slow ride around the track.   Once we had finished that it was already race briefing - phew a bit too close for comfort.

The intermediate boys group was the largest with about 25 riders, and I managed to get close to the front of the bunch.  After a good start with a sprint up the forestry road,  I had manged to get into a good position and was feeling that I could do well.
 

Entering the 2nd lap, as I started to climb the single track, my gears started to slip which allowed the two racers behind my to get past - damn!!!  Should have visited the team and R&R before hand.

When I finally got back on pace, I was close to the half way mark.   But the effort to catch up in a hurry had taken its toll.   My right leg wasn't feeling right and after about 10 seconds it completely seized up - OMG!!!  the pain.  I had never had cramps come on that fast, or that bad.

I had no choice but to sit down and stretch.  5 minutes later and it still wouldn't go away. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get my spot back, let another cacth theleaders - my race was over.

Thinking I was probably close to last now, I decided to continue but go slow and stretch out my leg. It took me the balance of the second lap to get rid of the pain.  Going into the last lap I decided that I couldn't just give up on the race and to "harden up".   I could stretch out the last of the cramps at the finish.   Well, it was a lesson I was after, and it was a lesson I got.

As I sat through prize giving all I could think about was what I needed to do next time - particularly making sure I have a magnesium drinks for the week before a race so that I don't cramp ever again!

Its been a painful entry into the intermediate boys category this year - and I would like to thank R&R sport for supporting me even though the results weren't what I wanted.

The positive thing is I feel really motivated to train hard for the results and want next year to be my 'year of glory'.  Ah! mountain biking - the drug of choice.

Auckland Secondary School race 2 (rivierhead)

The Secondary Schools Race Series is something I really wanted to do well in this year.  I was sure that for that for this race I could achieve outstanding performance after the not so great result in the previous one.  I was fit, relaxed and feeling good.

With all my thoughts on the race, I knew Riverhead wouldn't be easy, but I was well prepped. Arriving at the event, it was obvious a lot of competitors from the previous race had been spooked by the thought of Riverhead (particularly after recent rain) and the numbers were well down.

As I was about to go for a warm up, I caught up with some fellow riders/ friends who were fully coated in mud - not good.  Now I started to get nervous about the race. 

Race briefing finished and as everyone headed to the start, I could see a lot of serious faces. My confidence started to go down as I realised that this was going to be alot tougher than I had imagined. First the seniors raced off, with my group, the intermediate boys next.  Even with a furious race start I seemed to be in the top 5 or 6 racers - I was feeling great.

After about 30 minutes into the race I was coated in mud from top to bottom. Not only did my bike (and everyone elses) sound like they were about to snap, but it was twice the weight!

I was able to keep up the pace up the top riders heading into the 2nd lap but was really starting to hurt.  I had dropped about 20 seconds behind 6th and my speed felt as though it was getting slower. Just to make it worse,  I hit a huge mud puddle which sprayed mud into my eye and caused me to be unable to see for a few seconds.   My confidence had left me, the mind games began - could this race get any worse?

By the time I reached the last lap my eye sight was getting worse, I was making poor decisions on lines and my speed was now really slow.  I must have dropped about 3 places and my mental toughness had deserted me.

Sadly I was just glad to even finish.

Both me and my bike would need the MEGA clean (what a fun job to do after you've freezed your @$$ off and have no energy left).

After prize giving as we headed home, surprisingly I was not disappointed in my race because I had actually finished and survived the race.  Yes, I might not have gotten the placing I wanted but the race was extremely hard in those conditions, and even with eveything that had happened, I held my place again some really good older riders.

Yet another huge learning step before next year.  Bring on race three!

Moonride 2013

The Moonride is one of few races that my family plan months before it happens but this year it was a whole lot different.

The race had been planned to be at the previous years venue up in the Kaimai Ranges.  It had had great facilities but very few people liked the course- we had been thinking maybe it wasn't worth doing this year and from what we had heard, heaps of others were thinking the same thing.

About 8 weeks out from the start the race organisers announced that because of not enough entry's they would be moving the race back to the original venue in the Redwood's (Rotorua). Suddenly we got interested again.

A lot of rush organisation in the Jafakids forming teams saw a number of teams being formed and entered.  A good mate of mine formed a team more social than serious, but all good riders.

As the weekend approached alot of people decided to get to Rotorua on the Friday evening and watch the start of the 24hr race. To save money, my parents decided to just head down Saturday morning early.  A good decision in hindsight.

After a 4.30am wake up,  a drive down in pouring rain, we finally get Rotorua around 9am for breakfast.  The rain had eased by then and when we get to the race area we were all expecting to see muddy riders throughout the tent city.  Instead we see half the event area flooded and only about 300 people with no-one racing - it had rained so hard that night the 24 hours was canceled!

A lot of the 24hr team had elected to stay and complete in the 12hr event instead, so it was going to still be a reasonable crowd.   As the teams warmed, minutes before race start my guys decided that I would be starting, causing a wee bit of panic to get my gear on and warmed up.

My nerves were kicking as the start approached, but I did not want to let my team down because of a slow start.  It was a messy start with people going over the handle bars, people smacking into each other and going off-course, but somehow I was able to get around all of it and found myself in top 20.
 

It was a fast lap - 15 minutes later and I was back at the transition, not to tired and happy with the track.  About 2hours into the race it started to hose down again and when our rider came back he told us the course was deteriorating and getting really hard to ride.  I didn't believe him until I went out for my next lap and man! was it bad!!!

The worst thing was that we had about9 hours left, and with the number of riders going over each section and the weather not improving, it was looking sad.

At the halfway mark and the 6 hrs teams finished,  things became a little easier with not as many people on the trail. Having said that, the race organiser were constantly on the track reparing sections, shiftng others and slowing riders as necessary.   Very interesting - they did an awesome job.

As we come to the last 2 hours, no one wanted to ride anymore - the track was really, really hard work.  People who had started with 15-16 minute laps were now doing 25-30 minutes for the same distance, and hurting.    The only thing keeping us going was that we were in 3rd place.

At that point the race organisers announced they decided that the tracks were almost unrideable that they are goings to finish the race 1 hour earlier - you could hear is the sigh of relief from every tent!

With only about 20 minutes left and we had sent our last rider out with plenty of time, so we all sat back and started to relax, hopeful that we could keep 3rd. 

At prize giving, we had no idea of the final result.   Everyone was shattered, no one could walk very well and had nothing left in the tank - thank got we hadn't had to ride for another hour.  It was worth staying for prize-giving because not only did we see our friends go up to get medals but our team had secured the bronze medal - yeah baby!. 

I have to say two huge thanks to my sponsor R&R sport and also mum and dad thank you so much.  Cost a fortune in fixing the bike but the guys at R&R really helped - brilliant.

Auckland Secondary School MTB series race 1 of 3 (sanders reserve)

Time as been flying so fast for me after the Christmas holidays. Since school started again, NZ Nationals and now the Auckland Secondary School race series have come in quick succession.

The first Auckland Secondary Schools race is being held at Sanders Reserve, close to Aucklands maximum security jail in Pareparemo. It is a relatively small venue but has awesome facilities, including free hot showers (yeahhh baby!!).

Approximately 5 hours before race start (5am) and I was twisting and turning in bed, surprisingly not thinking about the race, but suffering from a sore ear and a really bad headache - not good.

A few hours later when the alarm went off and the family finally woke up, I managed to get out of bed and get myself ready. I didn't tell the family how I was feeling because I was so keen to race - silly male!  In fairness, my little sister who is only 10 years old (last year of primary school), had got permission to race unofficially and she was really excited, so I couldn't let her down.

At around 9am we arrived to Sanders Reserve, unpacked the car and got the bikes all race ready.

I decided to go have a quick test ride around the trails and they were running so mint.  The course was great - a few technical hills and a lot of technical cornering, but great fun at the same time. Even though I was started to feel a little better I knew that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, partcilalrly geven the guys I was up against.

As everyone crowded around for race briefing,  I saw old faces who have been racing these secondary school races for almost 5 years plus heaps of new ones that have never ridden a bike before - awesome turnout.   My direct competitors were looking amped and ready to take out the series.

By 10am everyone was down at the bottom of the hill ready for a nice hard sprint to the top of a reasonable gravel road,  before a quick turn into the single track.

One by one the groups started until it was the intermediate boys (years 10,11 and some year 12's) turn.  Like I said in my other blogs because it is my first year in the intermediates I am treating the races as a learning curve before next year,  where I plan to take it all out :)

3, 2, 1 Go!   A loud racket as the 25 riders clip in and start to sprint off.  There was no surprise to see the top 3 which included fellow R&R rider Robin Page make the single track first.

Around 20 minutes into the race and the top 5 racers were about 30-40 seconds in front of me.  At the speed they were going I knew I would need a miracle to catch them.  Half way through the first lap, and after a few people had withdrawn with with broken chains and blown tires,  I had manged to climb to 5th place, still feeling ok.

 Suddenly a friend of mine, Jason, made a move on me and manged to get past.  He started to get further and further ahead of me, and at the same time things started to get worse for me.  My back started to hurt (this was caused by lack of core muscle and me not keeping a straight back) and I wasn't feeling so flash again.

Getting dizzy and wobbly I realised that even though I was only 1 1/2 laps from finishing I was going to be luck just to finish.

Somehow I manged to keep going, but I was feeling horrible.  Just to make it worse I started to get the sharp stabbing pain in my ear.  This race was looming as a disaster for me, but I just told myself keep going, get to the end and it won't matter what you come  -  it was all about finishing the race now.

20 minutes later  I finally reached the finish line feeling totally wrecked!

While I was happy just to have finished, I was annoyed with myself that my core was weak and even in my decision to race. 

I wasn't overly disappointed that I didn't get a placing, and in fairness to me, everyone looked tired with heaps of people having a bad race just like me. It seemed more like a battle of attrition.

My little sister had a great race, even surprising heaps of secondary school students after she got 3rd place (only being 10minutes off 1st) - watch out New Zealand!   I believe we have the next world champ in the making.

 little sis on the left.

Next race will be good for me - I know it.  All I have to do is train hard and prepare for the unexpected. This race was definitely another learning curve.

Product Review: Giant XTC 29er composite 1 2013

 

Giant is a very popular brand and make wide range of bikes. What I've noticed with lots of bike brands they either give you a heavy frame with bad components - which is good for first time riders but when it comes to racing, all you want is a reasonably light bike and good components.  Of course you hope it doesn't cost too much.

The Giant XTC range For Mountain Biking is brilliant, starting with aluminum frames for beginners through to the carbon frame for the more full on racer type.

I was really lucky to get an XTC Composite 1, and have not had a single regret. It was definitely worth the money.

Firstly the frame. The Composite frame is quite chunky looking, but surprisingly light. It holds up very well in all conditions and handles the bumpy stuff easily. I was expecting alot more flex out of carbon but it's actually quite stiff, meaning you can get more power to the pedals. I also like the paint scheme, very blokey and simple. 

Components. The bike comes with a mix of both Shimano XT and SLX which I thought was down spec. I was wrong. I really can't fault anything on it (given the price). My only complaint is that the wheels are quite heavy but normally when you buy a bike it always has bad wheels unless you are willing to pay heaps.

I love the Fox forks - they pump so well on a rough downhill, and when it come to uphills the lock out button allows you to easily climb without the pumping.

This bike has lasted me for almost 1 year now nothing has gone wrong with it. I have made little adjustments with the bike just to save weight and noise. These included narrower 600mm wide carbon handle bars (more preferable for the trails I do).

Also, because I sold my old bike to my little sister, it also meant giving my Shimano XT Shadow Plus so I ended up buying another for the XTC. The standard XT derailleur is alot louder when it comes to bumpy sections (If you want to find out more about the Shimano XT derailleur check this link out:  http://kalenweir.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/product-review-shimano-xt-shadow-plus.html )  and is slightly more expensive.

The Giant XTC 29er Composite is a great bike I give it a 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I left out 1/2 a star was because of the heavy wheels. It has proven to be a robust and capable MTB for racing and everyday use. Prices range from $3000 to $4000 nz. Weight is between 10.5kg to 11kg.

I reckon that if you added a good wheelset at around $1000 you could drop it below 10kg. That is good value for money in my opinion.