[Tracerboy]

I am looking to start racing the 06 season, for now I am entered in the last race of my state wide cup (Florida State Championship). I will be racing in the novice class to see where I stand, I think I am not half bad But I will see come Sunday!!


My bike is bone stock except for some handlebars my boy gave me with more of a swoop & swayback. The first thing I need to upgrade is my wheelset, suggestions??
I was contimplating the mavic crossmax's XL or SL but racers i talk to say there are better wheels that are cheaper out there.
next i defenately need new pedals, i have shimano 515 (??) & they are absolutely horrible in mud conditions, I am thinking Egg beaters but not sure if I should go w/ the Candy's. Just b/c I think the lil platform would be more comfortable.....what do you guys think????

down the road I want to go back to grip shift, when i got this bike i was upset @ having trigger shifters. Even though w/ my last bike it was so hard to get used to the ESP's it had on it, but none the less i got more than used to it and very reliant on the fact that I could go from one spectrum of the sprocket to the other. OPINIONS????

guys I appreciate all suggestions and or tips!!!
peace,
migs

 

[borregokid]

Probably the most common race setup for wheels are Mavic 517 or 717xc laced to XT Hubs. They are light and affordable. Some of the tubeless setups can get pretty pricey and then for some reason half the guys that have them run regular tires.

For pedals I would take a hard look at the Time Atac pedals. I have used those in the past and really liked the feel and the way they clip in. Before you go with the Eggbeaters check out the time pedals. I dont think you can go wrong with the Time pedals.

 

[Tracerboy]

Time?

Probably the most common race setup for wheels are Mavic 517 or 717xc laced to XT Hubs. They are light and affordable. Some of the tubeless setups can get pretty pricey and then for some reason half the guys that have them run regular tires.

For pedals I would take a hard look at the Time Atac pedals. I have used those in the past and really liked the feel and the way they clip in. Before you go with the Eggbeaters check out the time pedals. I dont think you can go wrong with the Time pedals.

I had time pedals on my road bike & i hated them. you are not the first peron to advise on those though, i just think or they look like they have just as many places to get mud stuck in them as my Shimanos..
thanks for the reply!

 

[SeanL]

I run eggbeaters on my bike, and I have a really big foot(size 14). The small size of the pedal concerned me at first, but after trying them it was no big deal. I love 'em. I've got them on two different bikes.


Good luck at Reddick tomorrow.

 

[Tracerboy]

Dude thanks! I think I am going to try those egg beater hopefully i can find some cheap Ti's.

As for the race I am kinda bummed about it even though i got third, you see i wiped out in the whole-shot and played catch up from there on out. the course condition was DEPLORABLE f'en mud EVERYWHERE. but it was tons of fun and Im hooked. Now to figure out where I am going to get the money to fix up the bike.

Does any one know if a Layback Seatpost helps with lower back pain???

 

[kbiker3111]

Crossmax's are hard to beat in terms of all around peformance: light, bulletproof and ride great, but you're right about the $$ and they're a huge pain to service. My suggestion: go to a shop you trust and talk it over with whoever builds wheels there. I'm sure they'd have some good suggestions on custom wheels.

I have Times and I love them. Some people hate time/eggB because they don't have the 'locked' feeling like shimanos. If you clip rocks a lot with your pedals (like me!) you might bust a pair of egg beaters pretty quickly.

I had the same problem with shifters a while back. I was a huge sram guy, but then I got a bike with rapidfire and after a couple months i got used to it. Now i don't really care as far as shifters go, just whatever i can get the most for my money, i guess.

As far as the layback post, i'm not sure. lower back pain can be a sign of a number of things fit related, but its unlikely its your seat position relative to pedals (its my understanding that layback posts help that)

 

[Megaclocker]

For the wheelset :

I have some Alexrims FD16 (430g) (35g heavier then the mavic xc717) they are laced to xt hubs with dt champ spokes... They where realy cheap... ! 310$can tax included

I have done several dh run on them (i know i am stupid) and they stay true ! They are realy nice. ANd they don't cost an bunch of money to fix when you break a spoke...

You could also try to get them with dt revolution spokes and you will save arround 200g for the wheelset

 

[dyst0pia]

Setback Seatpost - My understanding is that this will probably worsen your back pain because it will place you even further from the handlebars, which will make you have to lean forward even more.

I find that the best thing to do if you are having pain anywhere in your core (abdomen) is to work on doing actual core strength exercises. These are the exercises using your own body weight, an exercise ball, and maybe even a medicine ball. I was astonished by how much faster I would recover after a race once I started doing more core strength exercises. even during the race, I noticed I wouldn't get as tired because I didn't have to expend extra energy trying to keep my core in a strong position on the bike.

Pedals - Eggbeaters. I run them on all my bikes, road bikes included. Normal, not Candy. Make sure your shoes have stiff soles though, or else eggbeaters can cause hotspots due to their small platform size.

Wheelset - Basically what everyone else has recommended. I currently run a DT Swiss 240s/Sun Ringle DS1-XC Wheelset. Super light, and much cheaper than the crossmax wheelset. Also, with DT swiss hubs, reliability should not be a concern. Same with the Sun rims, they are awesome.

I hope some of this helps you. Good luck!

 

[SeanL]

Does any one know if a Layback Seatpost helps with lower back pain???

If you're dealing with back pain, I think you'll need to look at your stem setup. As has been previously noted, a layback seatpost would most likely add to your back pain.

 

[Tracerboy]

not too bad...

well Homies, I am glad to report that I did ok for losing in it the 2nd corner after winning the hole shot. The conditions were deplorable; rain, mud, slippery roots, it was pretty rough!! The specialized Pro's I run too are bad in the mud not to mention my cleats where a huge factor, but No Worries I have decided on the egg beaters(now to find a deal). As for the wheels i am still reaserching...
As for the finish: after falling back to last place in my heat I managed to finish in 3rd only 3:47 behind first place.
Reddick is tough, I loved it, I AM SO HOoKED!!!

next season will be fun for now train on my road bike and maybe compete on that platform too.......

ThanX for all the help and words of encouragement!!!

MIGS

 

[warmonkey]

I'd have to agree, the layback post will most likely make your back pain worse. Laybacks are used to compensate for certain bike designs or longer than average femurs.You may want to try a shorter stem. With an Epic I'd go with the twisters. Epic's have that funky under-pivot cable routing that tends to crud up mid-race. I've had three Epics, a comp. a pro and an s-works and they would all ghost shift mid race. It's a lot easier to tweak your shifts with gripshift. I've used both pedals- the eggbeaters broke the first time I clipped a rock , something you're more likely to do because of the lower bb on the epic. The Times aren't as sexy but they're bulletproof. Don't think I'm picking on your epic, either. I love them, they are just awesome race bikes but they can be quirky as hell. Check out ebay for a set of Bontrager race lites- nice hubs (dt swiss I believe) regular spokes so you can replace one in Podunk and lighter than crossmax though a tad flexier. Good Luck and keep racing- maybe we'll see you in Mammoth!

 

[yetirich]

I have an Epic and run Crossmax XL's with regular tires and stans. Pedals are WTB Stealth 250's. You can get them off of ebay for about 25 bucks new and they only weigh 250 grams.

Time pedals are really nice but very heavy.

I have heard lot's of good and bad on the eggbeaters. I really think the first gen of these were bad and they have fixed them and probably wont break any longer. I do know thier CS is awasome for replacement/broken stuff so thumbs up for that

Good luck

Rich

 

[preparation_h]

I am looking to start racing the 06 season, for now I am entered in the last race of my state wide cup (Florida State Championship). I will be racing in the novice class to see where I stand, I think I am not half bad But I will see come Sunday!!

My bike is bone stock except for some handlebars my boy gave me with more of a swoop & swayback. The first thing I need to upgrade is my wheelset, suggestions??
I was contimplating the mavic crossmax's XL or SL but racers i talk to say there are better wheels that are cheaper out there.
next i defenately need new pedals, i have shimano 515 (??) & they are absolutely horrible in mud conditions, I am thinking Egg beaters but not sure if I should go w/ the Candy's. Just b/c I think the lil platform would be more comfortable.....what do you guys think????

down the road I want to go back to grip shift, when i got this bike i was upset @ having trigger shifters. Even though w/ my last bike it was so hard to get used to the ESP's it had on it, but none the less i got more than used to it and very reliant on the fact that I could go from one spectrum of the sprocket to the other. OPINIONS????

guys I appreciate all suggestions and or tips!!!
peace,
migs

Sounds like you need a wheelset. I bought some wheels from last year and they have been a solid performer. I had a hub issue but DT swiss set me up.
They are 717's w/Hugi 240's However they are labeled as magura wheels. Light Wheelset and I believe DT builds the wheels so the quality is there. And for a race wheelset it's definitely on the cheaper end, they might be a tad bit heavier than the Crossmax's but if you do some searching on this site you will find out the crossmax's aren't all they're made out to be. Anyways contact this guy. And See if he can get some to you. I think I paid about 350 for mine.
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=kingair2000&iid=4556469264&frm=1728

Anyways .....good luck with your racing.

 

[Mo-Tay]

I race a 03 S-works and find it to be a great bike. I have no probs with ghost shifting, you just need to have the bb cable long enough and I don't get that anymore. I would look at the DT 4.1 (d if you ride disc...I have hope mono mini) wheel on a Hope XC hub...very nice at a good price. I had Larry from Mt. High Cyclery build me those and a set of CKISO/Mavic 819...love those too. I usually race the CK/819s as I am a bigger guy (195ish). Also, I love the Candy SL Eggs...the platform helps and they are still light. SRAM drivetrain...smooooth.

Also, back pain is normal during a race...it gets better as you get stronger. If it is just a muscle issue.

If you want any other info, I would be more than glad to share my expereinces. I built it up and had quite the learning curve to get it dialed in.