Coming thru!

Canyon Nerve xc 9.0

Maarten Patteeuw — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:11 +0000

Nerve XC 9.0 on the test ride in Frigliana (Malaga)

My 2011 Nerve arrived in time, as promised by Canyon, to fly out to Malaga (Spain) early April. From the box to the bikebag, off for a real test on the trails. The bike delivered was as described on the site with the exception of the seatpost which was a regular aluminum Irridium instead of the Easton xc90 carbon. A few months later I would receive the upgrade, by then a Irridium carbon, and could keep the aluminum version as well. Nice service, no complaints.

Getting the setup of the Fox RP23 correct was pretty troublesome on day 1 of our trip. As my previous fully was a Specialized Epic with Brain I wasn’t a 100% sure and reread the instructions a couple of times. In the end it turned out the shock was actually broken and none of the settings really worked. This meant I was pretty much “pumping” my way up the Andalucian climbs for 5 days but at least had a nice soft travel in the descents… When I got back, and after double checking with our LBS, I returned the shock to Canyon and received a new one 4 weeks later. The service was again ok but should have been avoided by testing before sending the bike.

In the meanwhile I had purchased a new RP23 replacement shock as I was off for the Grand Raid Christalp in Switzerland and a week of biking in the French Alps. Now the bike was showing it’s full potential. With a correctly tuned RP23, 3×10 gears and a comfortable sitting position, it climbs really well. Special mention for the 36 cog on the cassette which comes in really handy if you like climbing on your middle ring (33) – like I do.

Grand Raid Verbier - tested in real mtb conditions

The SRAM X0 components have all been very reliable so far and the shifters and brakes are nicely integrated with Matchmakers on the handlebar. The X0 brakes are consistent also in longer descents and the brake pads are not wearing out too fast. The Fox RLC fork with the 15 mm thru axle is responsive, as can be expected from a Fox fork, and my impression was that you actually do have a better and “stiffer” control with the 15mm axle as opposed to the 9mm axles. The Crossmax ST is price/quality wise top notch and potentially the best wheelset I have ridden so far. I was a bit dissapoined that the Nobby Nic Evolution 2.25 tires did not come in the UST version but as such they are great allround tires and was glad to have them in the Alps.

There is not much terrain you can’t cover with the Nerve xc and at 11.8kg with pedals the bike can work both as a marathon racer or a good touring bike. In technical descents and on singletracks you feel in control with the Fox shocks, brakes, tires and 680mm handlebar. The frame details and paint finish are up to the standards of much more expensive brands and price/quality wise the components are excellent. If you are looking for a bike in the 120mm suspension category you should consider the Nerve xc.

SETUP

Frame: New Nerve XC Race, 7005 Series Aluminium, Opti-Sized Alloy Tubeset, 120 mm suspension (sand blasted black)
Fork: Fox 32 F120 FIT RLC, 120 mm, 1.5 taper, 15 mm thru axle
Suspension: Fox Float RP 23 Boost Valve XXV
Headset: Acros AiX-03
Rear derailleur: SRAM X0 Long Cage 10-speed
Front derailleur: SRAM X0 3×10
Shifters: SRAM X0 Trigger 10-speed
Brakes: Avid X0 185/185
Wheelset: Mavic Crossmax ST
Chain: SRAM PG-1070 12-36 10-speed
Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2,25″ Evolution (with inner tubes)
Crankset: SRAM X0 carbon 10-speed - 44/33/22
Bottom bracket: Truvativ GXP BB
Stem: Syntace F149 (31,8)
Handlebar: Easton EA 70 Riser 685/20 mm
Grips: Canyon Bracelets
Saddle: Selle Italia SL Kit Carbonio > replaced by Fizik Gobi
Seatpost: Irridium Carbon – 30.9 > replaced by Thomson Elite
added:
Crankbrothers Candy 2 pedals
Elite bottle cage

No Related Posts

Happy biking in 2012

Markus Sandelin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:44:28 +0000

This year has been quiet for Coming Thru, but it’s been amazingly busy for us behind it. Luckily there’s been thousands and thousands of you visiting us and our articles every month and we appreciate that a lot! We hope you’ll enjoy reading our articles and next year looks great for cycling, gear and time for writing new posts.

Enjoy 2012, it’ll be the best year yet!

Friday Video: The Aura bicycle safety light

Markus Sandelin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:49:46 +0000

Visibility in cycling has always been a big issue for us living in countries that are dark sometimes. Which consists of every country in this planet. So yes, there will always be use for methods to allow us to see and to be seen. Project Aura is addressing the latter part and is also making it look pretty cool. Like Tron-cool.

The ride position in the 2014 Merida Cyclocross range is quite steep.

Now, one of the first things I do is to remove all the ugly reflectors in my bikes, as they wreck the aesthetic of any decent looking bicycle, so I welcome the addition. I also like the user experience for the viewer with changing colors with speed and other safety factors. Like they say themselves:

We created a system that requires very little rider input and maintenance, while increasing the visual footprint of bikers from all directions especially from the side. We accomplished this by expanding the surface area of light emitted through the use of RGB LEDs inside the rims of the wheels that change from red when slowing down to white when at cruising speed.

Well done and we’re ready for testing if you need it. Wink wink.

Read more about Project Aura from their website.

Trail to Verbier – Ardennes Training Camp

Maarten Patteeuw — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:30:19 +0000

Preparing ourselves for the Grand Raid Verbier on the 20th of August this is the first in a series of posts.

We got ourselves a nice cottage next to Grand-Halleux, collected 5 bikers and filled our fridge with after-ride rewards local style: Chimay trappist beers. Mind you we didn’t get the rewards that easily, a hundred kms a day on the bike was the minimum distance required to earn one!

Day one we started off with a trip towards the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve via Malmedy. City Navigator doesn’t show the topo maps meaning all looks nice and straight forward on (digital) paper so we did the warming up by climbing the Côte de Wanne from the La Vaulx direction. Yes, the Côte de Wanne from the Liège-Bastogne-Lìege classic that is (2,2k at an average of 7%). Arriving in Malmedy we climbed the Barraque Michel and took the turn towards Spa combining beautiful forest roads with fast descents. After a quick lunch in Spa we returned via Franchorchamps and it literally feels like a race track with Ferraris, Porsches old and new and motorbikes passing you at 150k/h on a public road. Mind you the climb from Spa is around 4k and it doesn’t go well without digesting your pasta carbonara. We retuned via Trois-Ponts and Lieurneux, some pretty nice and quiet roads round there, to Grand Halleux totalling 105k and 1600hms. First Chimay earned.

Day two had the roundtrip to La Roche en Ardenne scheduled. Starting towards Vielsalm and Lierneux we selected mainly paved forest roads looking for some shadow as temperatures went up to 28C again. Taking the main road from Houffalize towards La Roche took us to a nice pizza but we can’t recommend the descent. One day later a serious accident happened with a motorbike missing a turn. It didn’t surprise us looking back at the insane maneuvers we saw on our descent.

On the descending part and we like it.

What comes down must go up – if you are staying over on the other side of the valley. A nice scenic climb took us out of La Roche and was followed by a steep descent towards the Ourthe river valley. Meaning we had to climb more or less the same height again towards Nandrin – two for the price of one right? After Nandrin we started climbing towards Baraque de Fraiture (680m) via the quiet Bois de Saint-Jean, still one of my favorite roads in the Ardennes. After crossing the E25 we continued direction Lierneux and Grand-Halleux. Day two: 109kms and 1770 hms.

On day three the mountain-biker inside me got a bit nostalgic and I still remembered a few nice roads from my Christmas training in the area round Houffalize. Fresh from breakfast we started out with a 300hm climb to the Mont le Soie and after a quick descent we continued through the Grand Bois (yes, it is a pretty big forest) towards Gouvy and Limerlé. The roads are low on traffic and the views are great but the surface is a bit of a mosaic of trial and error repairs. A fast descent from Tavigny took us into Houffalize for our lunch stop. We seem to have an issue with strategically, read stomach friendly, picking our lunch spots as our dessert was the 300hm climb out of Houffalize direction Sommerain and Halonru. Again nice and pretty fast forest roads towards Vielsalm and continuing all the way to Trois-Ponts. For “topping off” our third day we decided to climb the Côte de Wanne from the Trois-Points direction. The 250 hms are divided over almost 5 km before reaching Wanne and it’s actually a bit of a boring climb in my opinion – taking it from the Norths side over 2.2km would have been much nicer. A very fast descent back to our basecamp in Ennal and we could start the re-fueling. Day three: 103 kms and 1610hms

All in all a good training camp (320kms and 5000hms in 3 days) in what I still consider to be the best biking region in Belgium. Great to see the Teamskelle boys back on the bike, drink some local liquids, see the physical progress confirmed and have a good daily recovery. Definitely “on trial” to Verbier.

First 500 km on the 2011 Merida Scultura Evo 905

Markus Sandelin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:20:17 +0000

Filling canteens in the middle of a ride

It has been a bit too warm for road cycling here recently, so we’ve been bombing in the forests lately, but I have managed to get the first 500 kilometers on my new Merida and it has been a very pleasurable experience. The stiffness of the frame manages to surprise me every time and although I was warned by many riders that they are afraid with their carbon frames, I’ve noticed being more aggressive on my carbon bike than I ever have been on my steel frame.

The main thing I like in the bike is the feeling of reliability. I trust this bike. I don’t know why, but I noticed it from the first ride and I really, really feel like I will have this bike for a long time. I haven’t done first maintenance on it yet, since it hasn’t really needed it. Still, I usually take my bikes to the shop for the first check so I’ll have a second opinion on possible faults. The brakes and the gears need a bit of work, but that’s usual with a new bike. Definite increase in ride speeds and endurance, really digging the Merida!

Quick preview: Gaerne G.Fora 2010 road cycling shoes

Markus Sandelin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:09:06 +0000

They sure are shiny.

As I’ve made great progress in my riding during the last year, I thought I was up for a new pair of shoes. My problem is my shoe size, which is at the top end of cycling shoe makers. Sure, you can get proper sized Sidis, but they cost 250 euros per pair. As the bargain hunter I am, I found this discounted 2010 pair of Italian shoe maker Gaerne in size 48, which is just brilliant for me. I also got 50% off, which makes me a happy camper.

Buying bike shoes can be a hassle as there’s no universal truth on sizing and the differences between shoe makes and makers. Some searches and a bit of forum dwelling later I was ordering my pair of G.Fora’s that otherwise fulfilled my needs: a rigid carbon sole, lightweight, adjustable buckle and in a big size. The first thing that strikes you when unboxing the shoes is the amazing shine these babies have on. They look like they belong to a trendy Italian ballroom instead of the road.

I had some issues with the padded tongues in both shoes chafing my ankle a bit, but after I stopped and readjusted the shoes really showed their performance. I did not know a company called Gaerne existed before I went shopping, but after my initial experience I’m happy I do now. The sole is very stiff as it should be, the shoes breathe well and are very comfortable.

More testing is required for a proper review, but that’s on its way.

Love, sheep.

Johanna MacDonald — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:35:23 +0000

There are no sheep in this photo.

Cycling on snow is done for the year and I’m already thinking about the next tour, but I’ll continue with a number of posts that (god willing and a fast infield) will be of help to the first-time tourer and beginner-type cyclist such as myself.

Wool.

Wool fabric, and more specifically, merino (as in soft) jersey (as in a very fine knit), is a kind of holy grail as far as your clothing goes on a tour. Yes, I know you’re touring in the summer. Yes, I know that wool undershirt costs 80 euros. But if you need convincing…

You don’t need to wash wool. It doesn’t smell. Really. Try it yourself and be amazed. A friend of mine passed on a 100% merino long-sleeved undershirt to me just before my last tour, and it turned out to be the thing I wore all the time. I kept checking it after the ride for the hideous odourous underarm reek that, logically, would be the end result of an 8-hour day on the bike. But the reek simply wasn’t there. Wool is basically a magical substance that we, in our quest for the latest technical fabric, have forgotten exists. All you need to do is air it out, and maybe rinse or handwash a couple times on the tour. In contrast, my fancy-pants technical adidas shirt wasn’t fit for public spaces at the end of the day.

They grow it so that cyclists may have joy

Wool is not scratchy. Not merino, and not a fine jersey knit. It’s soft, light, breathable… I mean, who knew the sheep had it going on like this?

Wool keeps you warm when it’s chilly, and cool when it’s hot. I have no fecking clue how it does this and I refuse to speculate. I am simply going to chalk it up to millions of years of evolution. Wool also does a rather nice thing about drying super fast, and it insulates when wet anyway. I had a long-sleeved black wool shirt (very thin, mind) in 27-degree temperatures and was comfy. It also was rather nice for giving the forearms a bit of a break from direct sunlight.

Wool keeps you dry. That’s a nice one for the commuters, too. If you change shirts at the office, it’s always nicer if you’re not putting a clean shirt on a body glistening with sweat droplets.

Shirts, socks… what else? I’m big on wool for cycling socks and shirts, basically. I would love to see if I can get any good wool touring trousers this summer and see how they feel, but at the moment my Rapha by Paul Smith by Rapha cash jar is a little too empty.

You don’t really need it to be ”technical”. There are plenty of supremely expensive garments out there made of ”technical merino wool”, and while I’m sure they’re extra thin and light and comfy and help you count yourself to sleep, you don’t really need to blow your money on the most expensive one. It’s already pretty technical stuff.

Keeping your wool feeling cared for

As mentioned, hang it up (dry!) after a day’s use. If possible, get it near an open window for some breeze. Gently brush or shake the day’s dust and dirt out. Wool garments technically should have 24 hours to ”rest” between uses, so I’m planning on taking two wool shirts on my next tour; one long-sleeved and one short-sleeved. Don’t leave it in your bags; make sure it rests up overnight!

When you wash it, wool really prefers handwashing, even if you’ve got your technical wool that’s been treated so that you can just toss it in the machine with everything else. There are three things wool doesn’t like in combination: agitation, water, and heat. Be gentle when washing. Don’t wring it out! Squeeze some water out gently, and then lay it flat to dry on a towel or on top of the machine. Don’t hang it up—the weight of the water can stretch the fabric. It’ll dry super fast anyway. If you don’t have time to wash it, you can brush it, just like you would brush hair. (Er, I don’t actually take a clothing brush with me on tour. Another quick fix is just give it a wipe with a damp cloth.)

Pilling (when you get a bunch of balled-up fuzz bits in an area of friction on your garment) is normal; it happens to most natural fabrics. It’s not a bug and it doesn’t mean your shirt is breaking. You can brush them off and your shirt should be even softer.

That said, wool doesn’t last forever, which is why synthetic fabrics have taken over the planet. But come on, would you rather wear plastic, or a nice cuddly sheep?

When it’s out of rotation, it’s not a bad idea to store it in a sealed bag, or in a closet with cedar, or (yuck) mothballs. Moths are real and they love to eat your favourite woolies. And while I’m secretly pleased by the fact that the resulting holes really do look like they’re out of an old cartoon, I’m not so secretly pleased that it takes the sting out of having a ruined shirt.

Any other tips? I’m feeling like a wool queen so send ’em along.

Friday Video: Brandon Semenuk goes Wandering

Markus Sandelin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:55:58 +0000

Brandon Semenuk is a young Canadian mountain biker who seems like a guy who can ride a bike seven ways from Sunday. Good for him. Of course, living his whole life right in Whistler, British Columbia really helps, as it has awesome terrain for mountain biking. He’s so good in fact, that his parents home schooled him so young Brandon could focus on his mad bike skills, got in to a team with local bike shop and SRAM and now he’s a star. Then they made a video. Pinkbike, who ran the video first, have some longer words on the topic. Check it out from their post.

Advice for the first-time tourer: uh… “down there”

Johanna MacDonald — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:35:22 +0000

Sometimes it's good to let your lower self rest.

Right. I’m half-expecting to be flogged with an inner tube for TMI, but let’s be adult and sensible and learn how to avoid saddle sores. If you are affronted by discussions of the derriere, go to the next post now.

In most of this series I’m trying to cover the kind of information I really, really wish someone had just laid out for me before my first bike tour, because I trawled the internet for info and often came up with cryptic, embarrassed anonymous posts about stuff like chamois cream and whether you wear anything under your bike shorts. And while I have read enough to see that not everybody’s tush needs the same kind of TLC for long riding days, here’s what might help. First off, the enemy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_sores

Saddle sores. They are real.

You’ll get them near your sitting bones, where there’s the most pressure, heat, and friction between skin and saddle. They start out as irritation, then can move on to a pimple- or boil-like thing and, for the final showstopper, open sores. My first touring day wasn’t so bad, but by the middle of the third I was scouring pharmacies for something, anything to help. The last 20km of the day are endless when you can’t sit without making whimpering noises, and nobody likes a whimpering cyclist.

So: There’s a reason why you take two pairs of cycling shorts. Seriously, in an emergency, you can double up and the little bit of extra padding can help. You did pack cycling shorts, didn’t you? And tell me you’re not wearing underwear underneath (prudes of North America, I’m looking at you). The whole point of those shorts is to avoid abrasion and moisture. They’re not meant to be worn with knickers. They’re meant to be worn with:

Chamois cream! Not everybody likes/needs/has a fetish for this, but I am a proud supporter of the chammy. I would never ride more than three hours without it now. There are plenty of brands; I picked up Udderly Smooth on my third touring day and it saved my life. No, hang on, before you call the squick terror squad in, calm down. Take a deep breath. It’s just a slippery cream. Brand legend says it was used by dairy farmers to avoid chafing udders (on the cows, not on the farmers). You can slap it on your shorts or right onto your cheeky bits before you start riding… and enjoy that cold, squidgy moment when you sit on the bike. You forget about it soon enough… because you’re not in pain anymore! See what you just did? No, it won’t ruin your shorts. Go on, everybody’s doing it.

The road is the most comfy for your derriere.

Your seat could also be giving you trouble. I cried “saddle sores” at a bike shop in Newcastle and a very nice bloke (they’re all very nice when you’re a single touring girl) pointed my saddle tip about 5mm downwards. I never, ever would have thought that could make so much difference. I would describe the difference to you here, but I fear the editorial boys would wilt out of delicacy. Suffice to say the difference was noticeable. Saddle too high, wrong angle—change it up. That goes for the rest of the bike. I really appreciated having drop handlebars because they gave me lots of options for riding positions and shifting weight.

Roads matter. Many tourers stick to real roads, as in roads what cars use, but there are so many lovely cycle paths, nature paths… ahem, bridleways. Some of the national cycle routes in the UK are on bridleways. More than anything else, two words on my tour became my private screaming nightmares: headwind, and bridleway. A couple hours on one of those with saddle sores on skinny tires and no ass that ever lived will ever be your friend again. Avoid long uneven paths if you’re sore.

Stand when you can. Some awesomely dedicated people will make rules like “stand 10 seconds every 2 minutes” or something equally retentive; I like to think that being on a bike is fun. Having said that, pushing yourself to stand a bit more will definitely take the pressure off your bits. Turning the logic around, you could also wait until you get saddle sores and use them as an incentive to learn how to climb standing.

If you’re getting/have gotten sores already, get out of your shorts as soon as you can when the day’s done, get clean, all that stuff. Don’t sit around in them at the beer garden if you can avoid it. I also discovered a cream that’s used for bedsores and nappy rash and the smell of it will take you right back to when you were in diapers. Sudocrem is one brand I found in the UK; my mom used to use Penaten cream on me and my brother when we were babies, and it smells like the same stuff. It will heal those nasties faster than you would believe possible. Put it on at the end of the day or before you go to sleep. So yeah, that’s two creams. Chamois cream doesn’t really help you heal, it just takes out the friction while you’re riding.

Another read covering similar stuff but with much more authority and advice.

Markus is going to love me for all these long posts, I know; you wouldn’t think there’s that much to be said on the subject of saddle sores. But that’s until you get them. Horror stories welcomed in the comments below. I am thoroughly un-squickable.

Approaching our 200th post

Markus Sandelin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:00:58 +0000

The summers are very nice here in Finland

It’s been about a year now since we started this process of documenting things we like about cycling and it’s amazing to be writing the 199th post to be published. Tomorrow’s post by Johanna will be number two hundred and we think that’s a lot. A lot has happened in the last year: Both Maarten and me changed jobs, got more responsibility and had to choose whether we spend our time riding or writing. There’s really only one answer to that question. We have new bikes we haven’t told you about and so much gear we hardly have even mentioned.

The weather has been awesome here in Finland: Very warm temperatures (sometimes a bit too warm) and beautiful, sunny days like you can see in the photo above.

Now we’re just waiting for those rainy days so we can write some reviews on the gear we have and the rides we’ve done!

Until then, we’d love to hear from you and hope you enjoy Johanna’s touring posts this and next week.

Coming thru!

Canyon Nerve xc 9.0

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Happy biking in 2012

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Friday Video: The Aura bicycle safety light

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Trail to Verbier – Ardennes Training Camp

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First 500 km on the 2011 Merida Scultura Evo 905

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Quick preview: Gaerne G.Fora 2010 road cycling shoes

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Love, sheep.

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Friday Video: Brandon Semenuk goes Wandering

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Advice for the first-time tourer: uh… “down there”

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Approaching our 200th post

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