Cycling Thread 2

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Icantwhisper

Picked up an Aspero GRX 810 for me and a Checkpoint SL5 for girlfriend.
Aspero will get a wheel upgrade in the next month or so, already swapped the bar for an Easton 100 and a longer FSA stem, basically it'll be a gravel bike with a road setup other than tires. Have a love hate relationship with gravel so we'll see if this helps move it more to love.

What do you hate about it?

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by habernac

What do you hate about it?

I hate the deep farm gravel that feels like youre riding in sand, I 'm more of a dirt road and smooth singletrack rider

[Ryan Coke]

I get that for sure. Deep fresh gravel kind of sucks.

I just raced BWR Arizona, and loved it….like you described, it was a lot of smooth single track, and the gravel roads were firm dirt. Some loose sand was the challenging stuff, but there wasn’t too much of it. I would suggest maxing out tire volume. At this point I’m not sure if I will run less than a 45 tire on my Checkpoint.

I hear great things about the Aspero, although max tire clearance isn’t its strong suit. But wider tires make loose gravel more manageable.

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

I just raced BWR Arizona, and loved it….

That's awesome. BWR Arizona is on my bucket list for next year. This year I'm doing Sea Otter Gravel, then Fernie, then maybe one in the fall.


Would you do BWR again? Was it a good event?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Icantwhisper

I hate the deep farm gravel that feels like youre riding in sand, I 'm more of a dirt road and smooth singletrack rider

Yeah, I hear that. Makes you strong, though.

[Bigtime]

Kiss any of that nice hard pack goodbye, things are getting soft out there already in that direct sunshine.

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

I get that for sure. Deep fresh gravel kind of sucks.

I just raced BWR Arizona, and loved it….like you described, it was a lot of smooth single track, and the gravel roads were firm dirt. Some loose sand was the challenging stuff, but there wasn’t too much of it. I would suggest maxing out tire volume. At this point I’m not sure if I will run less than a 45 tire on my Checkpoint.

I hear great things about the Aspero, although max tire clearance isn’t its strong suit. But wider tires make loose gravel more manageable.

I looked at the tire width and I'm okay with 42mm max, I'm maxing out at a 40mm continental Terra depending on the course but have options at home to run GK32 and GK38 as well with various treads. Gravel is the new cyclocross for owning numerous tire/wheel options.

[Ryan Coke]

Originally Posted by bossy22

That's awesome. BWR Arizona is on my bucket list for next year. This year I'm doing Sea Otter Gravel, then Fernie, then maybe one in the fall.


Would you do BWR again? Was it a good event?

Yes, I’m totally planning on doing it again next year. Great time of year to get away from winter (and home/family stuff isn’t busy either), weather is generally great down there, and the event and course were terrific.

I can’t remember if you do much mountain biking? I’m not a great technical mountain biker, but my skills were definitely an advantage over much of the field. There was a lot of single track and moto trail, lots of whoops, and punchy climbs. Really a very fun course.

And then having 1000 riders (including many of the top pros) show up in a fairly small town in Cave Creek, it was a fun vibe, and I had a airbnb just outside of the town and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.

I would highly recommend it, and unless something unexpected comes up, I am planning on going back. If you want any more specific info feel free to PM me.

Are you doing any of the local gravel races? The Range, ghost of the gravel, or cochrane crusher? I’m doing all of those, they were all great in different ways last year.

[Icantwhisper]

Also grabbed some heated mitts of Last Hunt today, hopefully won't need them again till November but where the cold comes back I'll be ready.

[habernac]

Doing the Ghost again. Again, I’m in the worst physical shape of my life. Woo hoo!

[bossy22]

I'm either riding the ghost or volunteering. I haven't decided yet.

[Badgers Nose]

nvm - saw what I needed on last page

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

Is there much ice left on Bow River pathway?

Apart from shady bits, should be dry now eh?

Pretty dry on the river path.
Puddles get pretty deep if you head south of inglewood.

[RichieRich]

phew some of those early morning ice patches and puddles with surprising break-throughs sure keep you guessing. I'll keep running the studded tires at lower pressures for now thank you. Wish the pathway crew would come and dig drainage ditches for the large puddles so they could free drain instead of relying upon evaporation.

[Flames0910]

Frustrating to see the same spots consistently as problems.

Apparently the city is open to feedback in the consistent ice though — would encourage folks in this thread to tag their spots!

https://bikecalgary.org/city-welcome...-use-pathways/

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Frustrating to see the same spots consistently as problems.

Apparently the city is open to feedback in the consistent ice though — would encourage folks in this thread to tag their spots!

https://bikecalgary.org/city-welcome...-use-pathways/

It was funny to watch that map launch yesterday, and trouble spots getting marked, grow, and grow, and grow, and grow.

I really wonder if this will lead to any meaningful change? I hope so, but have my doubts.

[Fuzz]

I've never seen a pathway repaved where they take any consideration into drainage. It would be nice if they considered this before paving. Even just a slight slope to one side, or crowned, or raising it a few inches would make a big difference for a lot of areas.

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It was funny to watch that map launch yesterday, and trouble spots getting marked, grow, and grow, and grow, and grow.

I really wonder if this will lead to any meaningful change? I hope so, but have my doubts.

Also have my doubts. There was a call to fill in safety gaps about 5 years ago (when the pilot finished and things still felt like they had momentum) but none of the items I flagged have been fixed.

Also this data is for sure in old 311 reports if somebody in administration were to take the time and filter it out.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've never seen a pathway repaved where they take any consideration into drainage. It would be nice if they considered this before paving. Even just a slight slope to one side, or crowned, or raising it a few inches would make a big difference for a lot of areas.

Right? Many of these are challenges for pedestrians too, not just cyclists and it's the same spots every single year. Why invest millions in parks and paving without considering drainage? Why is the standard different for a walking path vs a road?

[habernac]

When I used to commute downtown, Nose Creek pathway under 16th was always an issue. Is it ok, is it a foot and a half deep, is it icy death?