|   More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Cloxxki
Oct 15, 2002 2:21 PM | | Taken this weekend after a relaxed ride, the proud lady with the Cube bike had her first ever off-road experience on a 2003-model bike I finished building up for her just the day before.
Getting the right bike is all about proportions. Mine looks a bit too small for the rider, don't you think?
Here's a better pic of the bar setup I went for with this intermediate bike. My racing hardtail will be just a little bit more hi-end, but this really suffices. Getting the 80 Easton carbon bar over the present 25 carbon XTX one is...pointless, even on the weight matter. O well, a man's gotta do...
Me riding my niner...
...rather than my 26" bike. Slight better proportion. I should dig into that 36" thing I've seen posts about... ;-)
Enough for now! |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Messassin
Oct 15, 2002 4:56 PM | | Jeeze Cloxxki, how tall are you?! |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Cloxxki
Oct 15, 2002 11:49 PM | | A mere 6'4"/194cm-185lb/83kg, but my Urangutang genes make my bikes look tiny. I have the seatpostheight of some 6'7"/205cm riders, my arm reach it off the charts. A 5'10" person may tower over me, sitting at a table, though...
I do believe having all the weight in the legs helps me build up a decent pace, in sports races there are no other riders over 80kg anywhere near me in the results, and I'm THE laziest racer in terms of training (I should've been out riding now).
The ape-like build did give me a hard time getting the riding technique dialed in, with such a high centre of gravity, but that only helps you to learn and ride on the absolute edge of what is possible for a whole race length. Shorter riders have it so much easier... |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Pam26
Oct 16, 2002 3:53 AM | | That proud lady is me! And the bike is just awesome! :-) Cloxxki did an amazing job, building it up for me so quickly! After riding a slick Trek roadbike all year it WAS a bit of a cultureshock but I already feel myself getting addicted to riding offroad! What a buzz! Now I finally understand what you guys are raving about on this forum! ;-) |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Cloxxki
Oct 16, 2002 4:26 AM | | On her first solo mtb ride, she made it a nightride, even doing some singletrack along a large pool, quite impressive! |
| that looks like a size L frame.............??? | ncj01
Oct 16, 2002 5:18 AM | | Is it? And if so, why would you not have purchased the XL? |
| It's an XL! | Cloxxki
Oct 16, 2002 5:42 AM | | A 39.2" inseam does the trick with the seatpost :-)
The widely available L-sized Fishers (showbikes in shops) is not an option to me, although I could suffice with a 105mm stem probably. The seatpost would look even more ridiculous, if I'd even find one that fits.
My 26" VooDoo hardtails are 21" centre-to-top, as shown above in the beachrace pic. The XL is 21" as well, and you see a simular seatpost extention.
The custom frame I ordered is 23" but otherwise simular to the XL, and will make the 29" wheels look even smaller when the bike is without it's rider. |
| It's an XL! | ncj01
Oct 16, 2002 7:33 AM | | the head tube just looks abnormally small on that fisher for an XL...are they using the same length HT on different sized supercal's? |
| It's an XL! | Cronometro
Oct 16, 2002 8:52 AM | | I don't understand the short head tube on the fischers. If you look at the picture his hands are about even with his knees. My back qould never handle that. |
| It's an XL! | Stonedead
Oct 16, 2002 9:30 AM | | I think its an attempt to lower the front end of the bike, to a height that's similar to a 26" bike. |
| Hands even with knees is not uncommon | shiggy
Oct 16, 2002 3:35 PM | | Depending where in the pedal stroke, of course. If the bars are too high climbing suffers. And I have more back problems with a higher stem.
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| Hands even with knees is not uncommon | Cronometro
Oct 16, 2002 6:56 PM | | yes, but if you look at the picture of the VOODOO his back legs is only slightly lower at the knee than his hand on the lower part of the stroke. If low bars so great than why all the riser bars?
BTW I had a VOODOO it was my second choice first was a Bontrager but they stopped making XXL longs when I had saved up the money to buy one. I broke the VOODOO at the seat/top/chain stay tube intersection. |
| See J-G's post below and... | shiggy
Oct 17, 2002 8:49 AM | | ...risers are about style and downhilling. Many bikes setup with them would climb much better better with lower bars.
To each his own. |
| It's an XL! | Cloxxki
Oct 17, 2002 1:57 AM | | My freakish long arms allow for that huge bar/seat height difference. Look at my back, it's not all that horizontal, even on the VooDoo that has the correct barheight for me. Do note that in the beachrace I went extra low for aerodynamics, with the rigid fork and all.
Had I had shorter arms, my bars could have easily been a couple of inches higher, and the -17º stem on the Fisher would not have been needed. 29" bikes have very tall forks standing on a 31.5mm higher axle, creating the need for a short headtube. The XL Fishers are 105mm, S and M are even 80mm, as I seem to recall. I wouldn't mind a 100mm HT and an integrated headset! Oh, wait, that's just what I ordered custom from Ridley!
About the back position:
To relieve the crownjewels and thus my back, I have seats pointing down. This allows me to stretch my weak back, rather than bend it to relieve my assets. Also, I get to push my wait aft to my seat, as if I had a little plank behind it, as is now forbidden in most cycling disciplines. It used to be very popular in triathlon. Riding hands loose is a bit more difficult, but when riding I'm always in "attack mode", I know no other way to be fast. |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | BruceBrown
Oct 16, 2002 1:03 PM | | Pam,
You should be proud. That's a sharp looking bike you have. I like black and wish one of the Fisher 29" 2003 292/293 models came in black. I do like red, but not as much as black.
Cloxxki - does your CamelBak have room for the step ladder you need to mount your bike? I can relate. I'm 2 cm shorter than you, but have the long leg problem as well to the point that people always ask why I pull my pants up to my nipples.
BB |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Pam26
Oct 17, 2002 3:20 AM | | Hi Bruce! Thanks for the reply! That black really looks chic doesn't it? :) I'm at work right now but I can hardly wait to get home and go for a ride! This weekend I want to check out some trials in my neighbourhood and to try to get a secure feeling on the bike. Should be fun! |
| re: More pics from a proud SuperCal29 owner! | Cloxxki
Oct 17, 2002 1:59 AM | | I've got some Schwalbe Big Apple slicks on order, sizes 700cx60, about 53-55mm actual. Should upgrade my game in beachraces, lower rolling resistance considerably. Too bad Schwalbe not comes with a 26"x60 Qualifier Compound that is way ligher (640g) that turns out to be the best-rolling tire out there. Still, a 700c version should be phast as well. My 700cx50c (43mm actual) version is already noticably faster than the many 26"x2" slicks that I've tried over the past decade.
Pic : 26"x2.35" Schwalbe Big Apple On The Beach |
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