The SoCal Heatwave has Passed
by Bryan on September 10th, 2007
Yesterday Rob and I hit Chesebro without our portable air conditioning units. Since the over 100 degree heat wave has passed (for now), we felt we didn’t really need the extra weight. Last weekend was unbearable and as Travis from Arizona posted, it was like hot enchiladas in our bike shorts. Note the photo above reads 113 degrees.
Chesebro is the classic ride, always a good standby when we cant think of anywhere else to hit. You can run it 20 different ways so we decided to head East out to China Flats, climb the fire roads out to the power poles and drop down to Gas Pipe but then climb the 3 Baleen wall hills for about a 15+ mile ride.
Now that I am running the Turner Nitrous, I have been dialing in the bike as I do more rides with it. I can say with out a doubt this bike climbs great. The geometry, the Fox RP23 and the Reba Team fork are solid. It’s really impressive how stiff they are when grinding up the climbs and then how fluid they become on the downhill. The suspension really opens up and I feel really good as I jam down really rough sections.
One thing is for sure, the Turner and all its components are very sensitive. I don’t mean that in a bad way its just a very twitchy bike than what I have been used to so it will take a few rides to get accustomed to the way it handles. I think one reason is because its so light it takes much less effort to move the bike and position it where I want it to go. I often found myself over compensating some of my turns and the way I yawed or pitched the bike, especially on high speed runs.
Tires also make a huge difference in performance. Currently I have the Kenda Nevegal in the front and rear at about 23 psi each. This is using the Stans No Tube sealant with the standard tire rather than a true tubeless tire. I would like to try the Karma and Small Block Eight combo although I do like the way the Nevegals grab. Maybe I will drop the psi to 20/21 range and see how that changes the bikes handling.
Another cool thing about the Nitrous is how quiet it is. Oddly it is something I have totally noticed especially when I have come up on another rider. The Sram rear cassette makes almost no noise compared to my previous XTR cassette, in fact the whole drive train is ultra smooth and makes not a peep. Even on the downhills the only noise is the wind in my ears and the hum of the tires. Its totally stealth, not that that makes the bike any better - but its definitely different. Another thing to get used are the Sram trigger shifters. I used to run the Shimano XT shifters and one thing I liked about the shifters I had was that I could up shift with my index finger and down shift with my thumb. The Sram XO stuff is tack on and every shift locks in to place perfectly, but I kind of miss being able to use my index finger to up shift.
As for the pedals, I have the Crank Brothers 3Ti Eggbeaters which are awesome. Personally, I like to have my pedals a tad on the loose side and CB has their cleats set up so you can choose to do that. Stepping on the pedal and clicking in is a cinch and releasing from the pedal is effortless which is great in case I have to bail.
Overall an impressive bike and the ride was great. Stay tuned for more ride and event reports such as….
Rob’s Weight Weenie report on his sub 21 lb Turner Nitrous (yes, I said under twenty-one pounds!)
Interbike
CORBA Fat Tire Festival
UCI Cyclocross Race at Hansen Dam
September 10th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
It’s “Cheeseboro Canyon” off of Chesebro Road:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/samo/maps/cheese.htm
Bob Hope named it year’s ago when he owned both it and Palo Comado canyons.
September 10th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I figured out why it is so hot for you…….your not going fast enough to get wind in your face.
pedal, pedal, pedal,