Back on the Wagon...
...or bike ...or saddle ...or whatever & two rides in, the heat acclimation side of it all has been just fine. The lower back / hip issue has not. Saturday's ride was on KirkCutty, the new Salsa Cutthroat. The plan was two-fold:
- See how the bike was fitting & rolling. When I finished the last ride, I was annoyed. The bike rides great but the carbon Zipp seatpost was creaking like a muthafucka. Turned out that both bolts were coated in this cheap threadlock. Came home, took a die to both bolts, tapped both anchors and put it all back together.
- See how my back / hip would react after a week of what felt like improvement. The week had been good with some running, some gym work and LOTS of stretching.
Get outta bed feeling pretty good, still do my routine of hot tub-to-pool-to-hot tub... and it is 9 AM before I roll out. Right away it's clear that there is some lingering kinks in the system. Pedal easy, moving smoothly but slowly. As I reach the first intersection, I trackstand and wait on a truck. Truck passes, I kick... and WOW, the pain is stronger than expected. The damaged muscle lets me know "too much too soon".
Ease my way up, wiggling and twitching on the saddle to alleviate each new ache that creeps in... but by the time I reach 56th again, the feeling in my back is pretty even... no real pain, just lingering stiffness. Slow climb the hill to Reach 11, take the sidewalk and roll down the concrete ramp. There are plenty of new drop-in's from the kids riding e-bikes but my confidence isn't there yet.
Roll under the bridge, take the left and roll easy on the easier side. Pace ramps up and still good. A few bumps remind me I am not 100% though so the pace stays sane. Right turn, wiggle through the sandy spots and catch the singletrack. This was when I realized my strength is definitely not back. Down in the drops, let the bike roll faster or as much as my seemingly constricted legs will allow. Hit the sandy dip at a loose wash and the bike just veers left. Normally I catch this slide no problem... not today. My reactions are not as quick. Lack of strength, lack of confidence in NOT hurting my back? Kinda think both.
It's getting warm but I feel good. Temps are closer to 100 than not, still I weave out east. Pace is sluggish and everything feels kinda constricted. Ease off the pace and roll as smooth as possible, trying to keep going but trying to not pinch anything. Sluggish up the northbound leg before stopping in the shade. Even if it's hot and I feel it pretty strongly, my legs are feeling better with moving.
Rolling west and the trail is loose. The Cutthroat only has one issue I haven't wrapped my head around yet - the LOOSE rear tire. In the past I have preached how I prefer a loose rear tire... quicker to lose traction than the front and all that...blah blah. In the past few years I have ran smoother and/or narrower tires in the rear of my bikes to facilitate that style. I have gotten away from it "some"...
- the Mach Wu has a 2.4 Forekaster now vs. a 2.4 Rekon. I found I like the traction on shitty climbs more than I like going fast...
- the DiiVerge now has the same file-tread 47c tire, front and rear... vs. the Pirellis that were knobby in front, file tread in the rear (BTW, Pirelli sidewalls are pretty soft)
- the Canyon has had 32c in the front, 30c in the rear for alomst a year now. Still dig it... in fact I just bought more of the same.
The Cutthroat was running a 2.6 Forekaster & 2.4 Rekon at the start... because those tires were already on the wheels. Even that 2.4 Rekon skipped a bit easier than I expected. NOW I have swapped on NEW 2.4 Rekon and 2.35 Rekon Race tires... and on Saturday, the rear skipped a bit easy in the loose sand. Maybe it was high pressure - 32 psi front and 38 psi rear... both way more than normal for fat tires, both about as low as I wanna go and STILL ride pavement.
A few years ago I did a simple test at R11 on the DiiVerge. I had a basic loop - lower south side flats to the turn off, singletrack heading east. I would ride Z2 tempo on the south side and ramp up harder, Z3 or so on the singletrack. There were 4 or 5 laps... starting at high pressures (40+ psi) and dropping 4 psi each loop until I hit something like 20 & 24, front & rear. The sweet spot was around 32 or 34 in the front and 38 or 40 in the rear. This was on the 37c Pirellis. However, that whole test was on the loose hardpack and sandy singletrack of Reach 11. No pavement. When I did try the 32 & 38 combo on the full ride from the house (about 3 miles of pavement to/from Reach 11), the squishiness was not fun. Soon I was back to 34-36 & 40-42.
This explain why I thought 32 & 38 was a good starting spot. I already know that I don't like to go less than 28 psi with a 2.4 rear tire. Now it feels like 38 psi is too firm on a gravel bike that likely has a more forward-heavy geometry. Next time will likely be a 30-32 in the front & 34-36 in the rear kind of day.
Sunday was NOT a happy day - woke up STIFF & SORE... and even though the typical hot tub-to-pool-to-hot tub routine helped, it was later in the day before I felt mobile. Monday I woke up SORE, did my same routine but figured, "if lounging TOO much makes me sore, maybe I need more work?" So I laced up running shoes, took off on a run-walk in the 'hood.
Sore took on a new meaning as now different places ached but everything else was a bit better. By afternoon I felt pretty good and my reluctance to ride faded. When I got up this morning, the specific spot in my left hip ached less. Movement came around quicker despite no hot tub or pool. After some quick stretching, I suited up to ride.
Deciding that less would be smarter, the Canyon was pulled down from the wall. I have barely ridden it since the drivetrain was updated with new cassette, chain & chainrings. The tires had also been replaced when the rear Conti GP5000 just had too many small slices and holes. Stan's works great... but sometimes faith on Stan's isn't enough.
When I was laying up the new tires, I noticed the air pressure limit of 72 psi. Kinda surprising 'cause I hadn't seen that before... and I was consistently running 74-76 psi in the front, 78-80 psi in the rear. So this morning I gave in, set the front at 64 psi and the rear at 68 psi.
Suit up, roll out and cross Thunderbird. As I stand to motor over into the bike lane, the front end feels SQUISHY. Stop, check the tire with my thumb. It's softer than expected... but no softer than the rear. I chalk the squirms up to release compound on fresh tires. Figuring it will wear off, I keep going.
Down 54th to Cholla, the next thing I notice is how GOOD my back feels. Yea, there is some soreness but it's the kind of soreness that wears away sometimes as ya pedal. Higher cadence on Cholla, cross Tatum and up 44th, my first "climb". It's not steep, it's not really a climb... it's just uphill but it still means a bit more work. My heart rate rises and I try to settle in.
Mid Zone 2 by the top, weave left over to 40th, out to Dreamy Draw and down the switchback bridge. I hear another wheel behind me, freehub ratcheting. As I get onto 24th, he passes and we chat. I hold my pace to preserve my back that seems to be surviving. Cross over the top quick enough and down to Joan de Arc. As I catch that first pitch of the climb (an actual climb), I stand and motor over the top and a little further. While my hip does just fine, my HR shoots into Zone 4, touching Zone 5 for the first time in months.
Ease off, the heat comes over me like a crashing wave... but just the same as playing in the ocean, you eventually learn to just roll with it. By the next turn and the next punch, I am fine... up, over and down to 28th. Right on Acoma and I ease it out to the pedestrian bridge.
There is something about knowing the hard part is over and the ride is ending that sometimes sends my body into "QUIT" mode. It is like my legs just decide it is time to call it a day... but my head has to remind em' that, "no, the fuckin' job isn't done, SLACKERS!"
Weave onto Acoma again and ramp up... not much, just enough to not be dawdling as the heat creeps higher. When I cross Tatum though, my head relents and we ALL quit... and cruise back home.
The tires... were doing okay but any corner I took with some kinda disruption - drainage, rut, cracks - was a bit squirmy. Not like the tire would let go but it wasn't comfortable. The whole ride I pondered, "is this lower pressure limit the result of liability when using hookless rims?"
These rims are Nobl CR35's. I built these wheels about 1-2 years ago, switching from the deep-dish Nox Falkor 55's 'cause the wind was catching em' like sails. These lower profile wheels with a bit more width are perfect for...
- Not acting as sails in the slightest crosswind...
- Wide enough to work well with tires over 28c wide...
- Stiff enough to not feel squirrelly in hard corners...
- AND... they have a hooked bead.
Even their website explains how hookless tires over 80 psi is questionable. Considering I weigh about 60 pounds more than the average large rider, this gave me a bit more confidence. Also they offer tire pressure guidelines:
- 40-70 psi for a 32c tire
- 45-80 psi for a 30c tire
...meaning I will likely bump the pressures to 68 psi front & 72 psi rear. I may have to deal with some squirminess but the benefits of a softer tire were noticeable. The ride quality when I was just cruising was noticeable... not like the days when 110 psi in a 23c tire was normal.
What's next?
Realizing that more work has been better for my hip/back, I will keep it up. Tomorrow will be another short run/walk before I either go to the gym... or try some physical therapy-oriented workout here at home. Either way I am gonna keep those muscles active.
Thursday will be an early singlespeed ride. I haven't ridden that bike since May 18th (post-Flagstaff). I may change the gear out from the 18 tooth to a 20 tooth just to keep from straining my back. I just re-taped the rear wheel... after realizing it had NO tape at all. I'm still trying to figure out how I got there.
Friday, swim and gym / home workout. Saturday, horse show support for Meghan. Sunday, pool & sllloowww coffee ride.
Monday is looking decent weather-wise so the plan is to take the Cutty to Browns, up Powerline and down the singletrack. Sometime before then I will hang the bike on the trainer and use MyVeloFit to dial in the position. Likely after the new alloy seatpost shows up.
More later.
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