Do you adjust your shocks during a race?

It doesn't matter with that "fork." Re seat adjustment, that's a
matter of preference, but if you have steep descents, you may want to
lower the seat to more easily get your weight back to minimize the risk
of going over the bars, ie, move your center of gravity back. Sounds
like you could do that with a cross bike or even a road bike with
textured tires like the Geax Blades.

CDB

When I stand up on the pedals to go up steep hills I seem to bounce
alot and it seems like I'm losing energy? I have a iron horse maverick
with 26 inch wheels . 2inches wide.

"novice" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When I stand up on the pedals to go up steep hills I seem to bounce
alot and it seems like I'm losing energy? I have a iron horse maverick
with 26 inch wheels . 2inches wide.

You are losing energy....lots of it The more sophisticated shocks and forks
have platform dampening and/or lockouts. That is why many of us like a
rigid fork, a hardtail frame and one gear.

I have a preload adjustment . I think travel goes down to 60mm. gila
rst.

novice said:

I have a preload adjustment . I think travel goes down to 60mm. gila
rst.

The preload is for setting the negative travel level, and for XC riding it
should be ~25% of the total avail travel.

If you're not planning on getting a decent fork that will adjust it for
the pedal-bob, then learn to sit & spin uphill; work on developing a
consistant and smooth cadence. Nothing is going to kill more energy than
standing and mashing, although I do it on occasion. But I use that method
[only] to strech some muscles and to give my crotch some relief.
_____
Slack

novice said:

I'm in a a duathlon where there will be alot of riding on well groomed
trails especially going uphill and then there will be some intermediate
singe track going downhill. I have gila rst shocks in the front.
Can/should I adjust shocks to make them stiff for the uphill and well
groomed part of the course? Also, should I lower the seat for the
single track?

Are you for real? When's this freakin' race already?
I don't often quote Big Tex, but "It's not about the bike".
Go as fast as you can for as long as you can. Try not to crash or be
too much of a [censored]. That's racing.

/s

Im mentally and physically exhausted from intense training. When you
get warn down, you immune system weakens and you start to get flu
symptoms.
If you are operating at 100 percent capacity, everything becomes very
complex. You are clearly an underachiever and contaminating the spirit
of every single person here who understands it is kill or be killed.

novice said:

Im mentally and physically exhausted from intense training. When you
get warn down, you immune system weakens and you start to get flu
symptoms.
If you are operating at 100 percent capacity, everything becomes very
complex. You are clearly an underachiever and contaminating the spirit
of every single person here who understands it is kill or be killed.

You are the strangest person ever to have graced A.M-B. All of your
questions are troll-like and you just don't seem to get the answers. If
you are new to the sport, then I suggest you find a local club to join.
Most of them have skills clinics and you'll learn the basics,
including the parts of your bike. Better yet, stick to running.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Ride-A-Lot said:

novice said:

Im mentally and physically exhausted from intense training. When you
get warn down, you immune system weakens and you start to get flu
symptoms.
If you are operating at 100 percent capacity, everything becomes very
complex. You are clearly an underachiever and contaminating the
spirit of every single person here who understands it is kill or be
killed.

You are the strangest person ever to have graced A.M-B. All of your
questions are troll-like and you just don't seem to get the answers. If
you are new to the sport, then I suggest you find a local club to
join. Most of them have skills clinics and you'll learn the basics,
including the parts of your bike. Better yet, stick to running.

Mitch: He's a T R O L L .

Sorta funny. Sorta sad.

(Hey, I ate a burrito last night. Two-ply or scented Charmin?)

<eg> BS <eg>

Sorni said:

(Hey, I ate a burrito last night. Two-ply or scented Charmin?)

I prefer the Charmin that has the touch of Aloe, but if you have a
septic system don't use it.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Ride-A-Lot said:

Sorni said:

(Hey, I ate a burrito last night. Two-ply or scented Charmin?)

I prefer the Charmin that has the touch of Aloe, but if you have a
septic system don't use it.

Nice: not enough info (my quote) and WAY TOO MUCH (your reply)!

Well done, lad.

BS (no, really)

novice said:

When I stand up on the pedals to go up steep hills I seem to bounce
alot and it seems like I'm losing energy? I have a iron horse maverick
with 26 inch wheels . 2inches wide.

Don't worry man... focus on your duathlon. You've been training hard and
you're mentally and physically exhausted. I heard you'll get flu-like
symptoms from overtraining.

Remember, you have to kill or be killed in the sport.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

novice said:

I have a preload adjustment . I think travel goes down to 60mm. gila
rst.

Don't worry man... focus on your duathlon. You've been training hard and
you're mentally and physically exhausted. I heard you'll get flu-like
symptoms from overtraining.

Remember, you have to kill or be killed in the sport.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

novice said:

Im mentally and physically exhausted from intense training. When you
get warn down, you immune system weakens and you start to get flu
symptoms.
If you are operating at 100 percent capacity, everything becomes very
complex. You are clearly an underachiever and contaminating the spirit
of every single person here who understands it is kill or be killed.

Don't worry man... focus on your duathlon. You've been training hard and
you're mentally and physically exhausted. I heard you'll get flu-like
symptoms from overtraining.

Remember, you have to kill or be killed in the sport.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

I dont have a friend who could tell me everything. I have to get the
info off the net. For example, it is hard to know if front suspension
is really necessary or just a toy. There is conflicting advice. i have
gila t6 suspension. i have no idea what the two adjusting knobs do. do
they only adjust the fork they are on or both forks.

I seem to be going backwards. I do less and less each day. On the
positive, my confidence on intermediate trails improved dramatically
today. I guess I am a prime example of the tough guy over training and
self-destructing.

novice said:

I seem to be going backwards. I do less and less each day. On the
positive, my confidence on intermediate trails improved dramatically
today. I guess I am a prime example of the tough guy over training and
self-destructing.

http://tinyurl.com/o56qv

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Per Sorni:

Quoted message said:

Mitch: He's a T R O L L .

Sorta funny. Sorta sad.

I thought he was writing tongue-in-cheek.
--
PeteCresswell

OK, granted this is your first race. You're not a pro, you don't need
to place to feed your family, so chill out a little. Take a breath,
it's *not* kill or be killed.

Get some experience, do the race, but don't kill yourself training.
After the race, talk to more experienced competitors, build a mentoring
or buddy relationship so you can have somebody to help you train
intelligently for your next one, building on what the first taught you.

I remember my first karate tournament, about 24 yrs ago. I was so
jacked I couldn't sleep. I was also so excited that I got a speeding
ticket getting to the town where the NW Championships were bing held.
I was so worn out from stress and over-training that I managed to get
eliminated in the first round. Wow. My first mtnbike race, my racing
pals told me to relax, have fun, it's just a group ride with number
plates. Had a good time, finished pretty good, then never raced
again....

So I recommend a deep breath, step back, get some perspective, and
rather than fish in the cess-pool of the www, consider:

Join a club.

Look up your local YMCA. Our Y's are always offering Tri-training
programs, and most running shops or athletic shoe joints can get you
wired in with like-minded people.

Take your bike into a real bike shop, and ask somebody there if they
can advise you on whether your shock should be dialed down (if
possible) to eliminate the bobbing. Maybe they could even throw an old
rigid fork on it for $40 or so, which in my opinion is better than that
RST, no offense intended.

Don't take yourself so seriously. You can still compete hard and yet
not kill yourself, and even have fun. There are loads of internet
sites about how to train for Tri's, etc., but if I were you, I'd
contact the sponsors, (if you can't find any other live human), and ask
them to put you in touch with a good, experienced competitor who could
give you a little real-world advice.

But if your post isn't just a troll from a bored kid who's wanting some
attention, then I say again, try some running clubs, athletic stores,
the Y, bike shops, etc., and get live help and guidance.

That's my 2c