Colorado Singletrack Ride On the Beast

[HRJG]

Well, for those who say it can't be done ... you are mistaken. I took the Beast out for a nice ride, Sunday morning, on Mt. Falcon, just outside of Denver.

I had just finished my new front derailleur mount (thanks, Tater, for the inspiration), and it shifted fine on the street. So, I decided to try it out under mountain biking conditions. (I'll work on making it look more "finished", later.)

I loaded the big bike on top of my little car, which I just recently bought specifically to haul my bikes to the trailhead. It sorta looked like i had the wrong one on top!

I rode the Parmalee Trail, which is pretty steep, both down and up, in places and quite rocky. I was concerned that the 22x22 low gear would be insufficient for the trail, but I only pushed the bike a couple of times, and not for very far. That gear equals the big cog/middle chainring combination on my 29er, so it isn't unusable on this trail. In my current state of fitness, though, I'd like a lower gear for some of our local trails, for sure!

The Beast, in the wild.

Next up, I have a 3-speed freewheel that I might try out. Oh, and a Salsa Enabler fork, so that I can run a front disc.

I know. It's a sickness...

 

[rickpaulos]

Well, for those who say it can't be done ...

I had just finished my new front derailleur mount (thanks, Tater, for the inspiration), and it shifted fine on the street. So, I decided to try it out under mountain biking conditions. (I'll work on making it look more "finished", later.)

Nice use of a stem!

Normally you want the front der mounted so you have about 1/8" clearance between the top of the big ring teeth and the bottom of the outer der plate for best shifting. Looks like you have an inch or more!
Can you adjust your der downward without the cage catching on the chain stay?

 

[HRJG]

Yeah, I'm familiar with front derailleur spacing (I was a shop service manager for about 10 years). The location of the derailleur clamp forces this position. Through some judicious tweaking of the cage, and good karma, I actually have the thing shifting pretty smoothly. I was surprised, honestly, that it worked at all, given the derailleur position.

 

[Joosh]

Wow! Thats pretty impressive! Mt. falcon is a challenge on my yeti!

 

[HRJG]

I need to get back up there, on a day when I have more time, and actually put in some miles. That one loop is pretty short, but it still kinda kicked my butt.

I am constantly trying to figure out how to get a lower gear, without losing a usable top gear. I have some ideas, but I haven't yet acted on them. If I can get a 32 tooth cog on the back, I will try the climb from the bottom parking lot to the top, one day, and see if my 52 year-old body can survive!

 

[Joosh]

Yeah. Starting from the bottom parking lot is helluva climb!

 

[Rat Rod]

So awesome.