Choosing the right gear for your single-speed mountain bike, where you live and ride, is art, science, and suffering. On technical terrain, it’s best to be pushing into something, but what gear that is for an individual rider depends on a pile of factors. With our local climbs, I generally balance that against a desire to minimize my time in third gear*.
My advice is always to Let Go Your Ego, and part of that is ignoring whatever meatheaded dude, always a dude, from flatbuttistan is on the internet bragging about the 2:1 ratio they push on their sub-20-lb XC-rubber wearing rocket. That said, even what your friends are pedaling on a similar, or the same, machine on the same trails is only relevant as a starting point. Cadence, crank length, raw power, commitment to additional suffering for a very slightly faster gear on asphalt; we’re all on a different journey, and one tooth on a cog makes a massive difference.
The reason I’m starting with this same old #1FG gear chat is that {almost} my whole SBTISAOAF for this week revolves around riding my newly be-slidered Chromag ArctuHawk. The Will’s Acturian/ArctuHawk Voyager. Thank you, FLT*, you rock!
*{1) Sitting, 2) Standing, 3) Walking}
It’s. Too. Hard. But, Wait?!
For my maiden voyage, with none other than the infamous Model-T, and the follow-up second ride with the fam, I was pedaling 30x22t. This was my happy place on the Waltworks V2 with dual WTB Vigilante 29×2.8″ tires, similarly CushCored, and the 3″ XR4s roll well, and I already had the setup on hand, so it made perfect sense as a starting point.
I failed to account for a couple of things in my quick calculations of same-sameness. Firstly, the Arcturian weighs way more. How much? Don’t know, didn’t scale it, but I can feel it lifting the thing. Second, the main difference in weight is the massive 170mm suspension fork vs. a rigid fork, which also moves notably more, even with the low-speed-compression jacked for the longest, steepest, climbs.
Now, to be fair, to me, I did clean the features that I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to pedal through. The Black Mamba roller coaster on Pipeline {Thank you to Ken, Chris, Chris, David, Bryndon, & Lindsay}. My personal demons on the No Quarter climb. And, I’m still recovering and becoming faster and stronger week by week. But the gear just feels too hard. Especially turning the wheels over from stopped.
My ego says, “We can do it!” but all my instincts point to 28x22t being the superior 29+ gearing option on my beast, especially when the sport surface is soft, wetter, wintery, or properly loose-over-hard in a way that requires more seated riding. The dirt today was magical for this time of year.
Anywho, I’m stoked to try an easier gear and see if it’s the right trade-off for my new one-speed adventure.
SR RC+
I promised myself that I’m going to keep this short. So, short. The shortest. Early days, don’t rob from your own content, all that stuff. But I am very stoked to very soon have very much more to say about SR Suntour’s latest “extra-flow” RC+ damper. It has all of the adjustments {air pressure & volume, LSC, rebound} that the vast majority of us actually need, and, for a two-ride review, it’s the best feeling more-basic fork I’ve ridden. That’s right out of the box.
It’s using a massive 38mm chassis, the excellent EQ air system I’m familiar with, and a standard thru-axle instead of the previous Q-Loc QR system. I really like the Q-Loc axle, but I also appreciate that this switch was market-driven, and the vast majority of folks will be happy about the change. Oh, and the forks are now oh-so-smooth out of the box with SKF Low Friction seals from the factory.
Anywho, I’ll have a proper first impressions & teardown piece up soon.
Rim Mixing
I’ve written quite a bit about experimenting with different CushCore insert volumes and rim widths to achieve differing performance results from 2.8-3″ Plus tires. I’m quite happy with where I’ve arrived on the Chromag, and I’d be stoked to hear from anyone else riding down this rabbit hole.
My rear hub is laced to an i30 Stan’s rim sporting a CushCore Trail insert that provides decent rim protection with a smaller change in air volume. The result is a taller profile for the 3″ XR4 and a more ‘suspension’ feeling, but still good support when it’s following my front tire through corners.
Up front, the corresponding front hub is laced to an i39 Velocity rim, and that setup sports a CushCore eMTB insert. The tire is more square profiled, and the insert is significantly more there-there, which I know will work better taking the bigger hits that the suspension fork allows me to drive the wheel into, and also aired down lower in the winter to maximize traction.
I was on the fence about running the 3″ rear tire versus considering a 2.6″, but the XR4 rolls along fast enough, and the extra comfort is noteworthy. The i30 rear rim is, of course, friendly to any narrower option I’d consider. I figure I’ll stick to this setup through the consecutive days of riding at Cumberlandworx, and then I plan to try the bike with a 2.6″ tire in the rear and also with 2.6″ tires front & rear.
Stop & Taste The Berries
The forest’s bounty has been generous this year. I’ve eaten a bear’s worth of salmonberries and countless huckleberries. If the scars I’ve earned on the ride-to-my-ride are any indication, we’re in for a heck of a blackberry crop, too. Some of those huckleberries, I’ll note, even crossed the line from tart-n’-sweet to sweet-n’-tart.
We were pedaling up the No Quarter climb, today, and The ClaireBEARian noticed an absolutely laden huckleberry bush with the largest, darkest, sweetest fruit of the season thus far. And she was perplexed because an epic number of riders pedal through there, and it didn’t appear that a single one had been munched.
More for us, sure, but seriously, folks, stop for a second and taste the berries? Rather than our standard water break spots, we moved from grove to grove.
Cura4 2pc
I’ve not ridden the Formula Cura4 brakes for a while and had forgotten just how much freakin’ power they have with the updated 2-piece levers installed. When did I remember? Barking my front wheel down the first steep pitch I hit on Will’s Arcturian, saved only by the long wheel base, slack head angle, and massive front wheel.
The cam-style lever amplifies effort progressively, and coming off the super-light-action Dominion, I initially struggled to control the power. Sanded pads, fresh rotors, and a proper bed-in all contributed, but in the end, it was all down to the rider.
The Dominions are so light in action and linear that controlling power is effortless. The Formula has a heavier lever feel, but the path from feathered to full-force takes nothing to initiate. I actually used the excellent lever adjuster to dial back the front brake a little bit.
I’m going to put together a more extensive comparison, but I was stoked for the reminder that there are sometimes very different ways to achieve a similar performance goal. In this case, tons of power, effortlessly applied.
Likin’-Hikin’-Bikin’
Call it a change of pace, call it JacVenture training, call it a solemn parental duty. A good, steep, rocky hike-a-bike requires some problem-solving, technique, and line choice. Oh, who am I kidding, it’s 99% brute force and ignorance. It’s character-building, baby!
Claire pushed, pulled, and dragged her bike like a champion, only needing to rely on me for a limited number of call-a-crane moments and one steep, rooted wall. Still, an impressive effort from a ten-year-old pushing her steel Samurai.
These moments are always a callback to, wow, almost five years ago. Pedaling and pushing her 20″ Early Rider back and forth on the Bridle Path under a simple compact. I’ll help you when you need help, but I’ll patiently wait for you to do it yourself when you don’t.
Many a who’s-on-first moment debating whether assistance was required. Sometimes, to the horrified looks of passers-by as I encouraged Claire to extract herself from her bicycle. “I need help,” “No, you don’t,” “I need HELP, oh, no, I didn’t.”
I’ve long maintained, and yes, what do I know, but I’ve long maintained that one of the hardest and most important parts of parenting is having the patience, poise, and presence for Watching Them Fail. Sample size of one, but I think if you can learn to like a good hike-a-bike, you’re doing okay.
The Lost & Found
Is it an earring, a pendant, a bracelet charm, some on-bike bling, or a pack dangly thing? I have no idea. But it’s the size of a small coin, and I found it at the very top of Pipeline. It may have been there for a time, as it’s doubtful anyone dropping in would have spotted it, and I don’t know of many folks who hike up it.
Anywho, it has the look of something that might matter to someone, so if that’s you or a person you know, reach out.
So that’s a wrap on this week’s SBTISAOAF. I can’t promise that next week’s edition won’t be heavily ArctuHawk influenced as well. Although… although, Nina’s old(er) renewed Sakura has arrived back from WZRD Emma, so I’m going to start on that project in the coming week as well.
In the meantime, I hope you’re managing to find yourself in the forest a plenty.
Larry Talker Tunes
I’ve been singing along to Rum Ragged all week. My favourite album remains 2019’s The Thing About Fish, but I’ve already recommended that album to Model-T, so today I’ll drop in 2024’s Gone Jiggin’.
Definitely listen to the songs The Road To Lushes Bight and Lazy Afternoon. I mean, really, the whole album is awesome. Classic east-coast Canadiana that’s at times beautiful, fun, thoughtful, and/or introspective.
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