[Fishtoes2000]

I'm mentally committed do attempting the Leadville 100 on an SS. My gearing is looking like 32x18. I thought about 34x20, which was recommended, but I didn't think it was much easier than what I had. I asked Mike Curiak and he suggested 2-to-1.

This is my likely bike config without the smaller gearing. Yes, it's an old Kona Ti fork with a Softride stem. The damper is dead.

 

[SS Ryder]

You won't die, but you will wish you were dead.

I raced Leadville in 2002 on a SS. I ran 34X18. It was too small of a gear on the flats from St. Keevins to Twin Lakes, and on the return trip. It was too much gear on the climb to Columbine. That course is difficult on a single speed.

Good luck, 12 hrs is doable on a SS, I finished 11:56.39. Got the buckle by the skin on my teeth. It was by far the hardest day of my life.

 

[chuffer]

are you really gonna ride with only compressed CO2 for tire inflation? without a pump? if you've done it before and are comfortable with it, cool. if not, ditch the CO2 and take a pump.

one way or the other, good luck. you've gotta be a tough baztard.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Thank's for the gearing info and congrats on grabbing a buckle. I figured I'd pick a gear I could climb Kevins, Sugarloaf, and the lower portion of Columbine with. I'll draft as best I can on the flat stuff. I plan on bringing the extra gears out west and testing them.

Yes, I definitely prefer CO2 over a pump. I've only had one flat in 6 Leadvilles and that was due to a defective tire. My girlfriend will be providing support and have some extra CO2s if I need them.

 

[chuffer]

Thank's for the gearing info and congrats on grabbing a buckle. I figured I'd pick a gear I could climb Kevins, Sugarloaf, and the lower portion of Columbine with. I'll draft as best I can on the flat stuff. I plan on bringing the extra gears out west and testing them.

Yes, I definitely prefer CO2 over a pump. I've only had one flat in 6 Leadvilles and that was due to a defective tire. My girlfriend will be providing support and have some extra CO2s if I need them.

right on. sounds like you got it under control. have fun....hehehe

 

[SDizzle]

I'll be driving a friend's "get outta jail free" car for Leadville, and would be more than willing to pick you up if you bail nearby! I haven't ridden the race, and don't really plan to, but I'd guess you'd have a good deal of fun tainted by interludes of searing pain. Good luck if you're going for it...

 

[wingzz]

Hope you pick the right Gear Todd
or should I say Fishtoes???

Good luck and pass along the same to Art and Kevin p.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Hope you pick the right Gear Todd
or should I say Fishtoes???

Good luck and pass along the same to Art and Kevin p.

Thanks, Mike. Last night I dropped my bike off with Robert Herriman who's driving to Colorado. It's kind of weird committing to a Leadville gear one week before the race.

 

[Eltbee]

Noticed your fork, being older, is not suspension corrected. Was that year frame suspension corrected? Not that there is anything wrong with this. I am just curious.

 

[32x18]

running ss for leadville also

rode parts of the course @ 32x18 and figure I will keep that gear.

for a sub-9 hour time on the geared bike, I was pulling the following with the 32x18

- 5 minutes faster to the top of sugarloaf
- about 5 minutes slower to twin lakes
- up and down columbine about the same time
- 20 minutes slower back to base of power line with a terrible headwind

from there it is mostly uphill or faster down hill so I figure, barring any mech or other issues, that I am shooting for about 10 hours on the ss. the only place that I found the 32x18 to be a big ass pain was from twin lakes back to the base of power line and this sucked hard. since I am not planning on a sub-9 on the ss I am gonna stick with a gear I can ride and enjoy the race not suffer and walk a lot. maybe, just maybe, I will go to a 32x17 but that would be the tallest I would run this year.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Noticed your fork, being older, is not suspension corrected. Was that year frame suspension corrected? Not that there is anything wrong with this. I am just curious.

That fork is around 390-some mm from axle to crown or about the same as my Kinesis rigid forks. The steering is probably quicker but I don't really notice it. The Softride stem is longer than what I'd normally ride, so that may be compensating for the steeper head tube angle.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

rode parts of the course @ 32x18 and figure I will keep that gear.

Great info. Thanks! I'm committed to the 32x18 as my bike is moving along I-80 at this time towards Denver. My plan for the middle flat sections is to draft other riders. I know some years ago I pulled that SS who took 11th overall. I was his domestique on both flat segments, through primarily the outbound. He then dusted me on the Powerline climb.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Didn't die.

Based on the number of people madly spinning their cranks during the rolling start, I think there were only 3 SS in the race and we all earned buckles. We all had the same 32x18 gear.

I'm debating whether to try this race again on a SS. If so, I'd want to drop 30 minutes and break the 9-hour barrier. To do that, I figure I'll need to be 10 pounds lighter, shed a pound from the bike, and acclimate a little longer before the race. (I arrived 6 days prior to the start.) I may also bump up the gearing just a hair. I estimate I lost 10-15 minutes due to not having folks to draft on some of the flat road segments. I lost some drafts because my gear was a tad too small.

 

[SingleSpeedSlave]

Can someone direct me to the race results page for the Leadville 100? A couple of local riders did the race and I wanted to see how they placed...

Thanks,

SS Slave

 

[steelbike]

Congratulations

Looks like you had a good race.
Those 7+ hour finishers must have been flying.

Based on the number of people madly spinning their cranks during the rolling start, I think there were only 3 SS in the race and we all earned buckles. We all had the same 32x18 gear.

I'm debating whether to try this race again on a SS. If so, I'd want to drop 30 minutes and break the 9-hour barrier. To do that, I figure I'll need to be 10 pounds lighter, shed a pound from the bike, and acclimate a little longer before the race. (I arrived 6 days prior to the start.) I may also bump up the gearing just a hair. I estimate I lost 10-15 minutes due to not having folks to draft on some of the flat road segments. I lost some drafts because my gear was a tad too small.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Can someone direct me to the race results page for the Leadville 100? A couple of local riders did the race and I wanted to see how they placed...

The results are at http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/results/04BikeRslts.htm

 

[32x18]

5 ss'er that i know about

and i heard a rumor that there was a woman ss'er and that would make 6. i was on par for the 9:00 time but knee problems and fuel/h2o issues at the columbine barn doomed me to 10:21. it appears that we left TL inbound at the same time...you kept rolling and i sat at pipeline for 20 minutes before finishing up the day. i actually found the course to be quite ss friendly as long as you just spin the flats and not get tweaked as you get passed on the flats. with very few exceptions i saw the people that passed me on the next climb.

i will be back next year on the ss, gunning for the sub-9, as it is very do able and it was good spin in the mountains.

 

[Fishtoes2000]

i was on par for the 9:00 time but knee problems and fuel/h2o issues at the columbine barn doomed me to 10:21. it appears that we left TL inbound at the same time...you kept rolling and i sat at pipeline for 20 minutes before finishing up the day.

I lost you during the start. I had to make a choice between spinning madly and going deeply into oxygen debt. Were you using 175mm cranks?

I caught up to you during the descent into Twin Lakes and only slowed to swap my Camelbak.

 

[32x18]

yeah...i was using 175's and spinning away. part of my problem after the columbine barns was i could not spin madly as that action made my knee hurt so i was crawling between twin lakes and pipeline. somehow i got a lead on you until later in the race but i am not sure where??? were you running 180's?

 

[bnelson]

32x18 were you on the dean? i was on the teasdale. I think i rode a ways with you.What time did you end with?