9/1/14 11:28 AM

Linda and I rode the Dirty Forty in Derby, VT on Saturday (note that I said "rode", not "raced"). It was a very well run event, especially considering that it's only in its second year; kudos to the organizers. There was one unexpected wrinkle, however. When we picked up our numbers, we were informed that 10 miles had been added to the route. Instead of 60 miles with 40 on dirt, it was now ~70/50. More for our money, I suppose...

The rollout was a hoot, as we did a neutral start behind a tractor for the first mile, at which point it pulled off, but the pace barely increased. The reason was obvious, as we slogged up the first climb, which was 13% and pretty much blew the field to pieces,which was probably a good thing, as it reduced crowding on descents and corners. For us, it was a bit of an ordeal. I was way over-geared with a 30x25 at the low end and suffered because of it. The longest, toughest hill on the route was at the 40 mile mark, with 2 miles of climbing featuring multiple sections in the 12-15% range (the GPS data indicates 17% in a couple of spots on the course, but I'm not sure I believe it). I completely blew up on the first steep pitch and it was a matter of survival after that. I had previously been waiting for Linda at the tops of some of the climbs, but now the roles were reversed.

Fortunately, I recovered somewhat over the next few miles, then Linda suffered a pinch-flat at mile 57. After a quick fix, we were off again, but she developed a severe pain in her left knee with around 10 to go. She couldn't push down or pull up, but she could push forward and pull back. It made it interesting in the last five miles, which featured incessant climbs (we were feeling pretty done by that point). We limped to the finish together and we weren't last, so mission accomplished!

To the credit of the organizers, there was still plenty of delicious food and beer left for us and the other stragglers behind us.

Overall, the roads were excellent, with only a few obstacles. There was one freshly graded section on a steep hill that was so soft that everyone we saw had to walk it, even one guy on a mountain bike. Some corners were soft and there were a few crashes. We had no issues,however...

I will soon be joining the ranks of disk-equipped gravel bike owners as there is no way I'm going to ride a course like this again with cantilever brakes. After the mile 40 climb, there as a kick-ass fast descent, but there were a couple of places where I needed to brake at high speed (40-ish) and the canti's simply did not get it done with the urgency I required at the time. It's time to build another bike and keep my current one for bouncing around in the woods and on 'cross courses, where my braking needs will never be as severe (I know, having to build another bike is heartbreaking). Linda had the same brake issue, so she'll likely be joining me, keeping her Hakkaugi for 'cross races only.

So...for those of you who like D2R2, the Dirty Forty is another event to add to you calendar (though perhaps they'll have to rename it to the Dirty Fifty).

As an added bonus, the Lois Garneau factory outlet is right at the exit when you get off 91 in Derby, so you can stop in and pick up deals on new kit. We decided to do a quick jaunt up to Magog, Quebec on Sunday (~20 miles), before heading home. It made for a great weekend!

PS. Linda's knee is feeling much better today.

9/2/14 3:22 AM

Thanks for the report, sounds like a fun event. I hope Linda's knee pain is just a glitch.

I feel your pain on the overgeared status. I've found a 30x32 works for me on the dirt rides I've done (seems like I'm in it about 1/3 of the time).

Don't think I'll put this event on my dance card if it stays the week after D2R2, I need more recovery time than that. This type of event does seem to be proliferating.

Have fun with the new bike. I continue New England fun in 2 weeks with the Mt Greylock Hillclimb (on pavement, so I have yet another bike for that. :)

9/2/14 6:43 AM

Less expensive than a new bike is to replace your 30T granny with a 26 or 24T. Assuming your crank has a separate 74 mm bcd granny mount this is an effective way to get lower gears with no compromise to the remaining gear spacing. I've done it on numerous triple cranks and it works very well. That and a 12x27 cassette gives a sub 27 gear-inch low and really helps.

If you have one of Shimano's "modern" triples (FC-6800, etc.) with the granny bolted to the middle chainring using a 92 mm bcd, you are stuck.

9/2/14 8:20 AM

Getting lower gear is a well done experience. Getting a better brake isn't!

Been down that same road and arrived at same destination as Dan (slightly ahead of Brian). I got low enough gear for the up. But my brake is seriously underpower for the down! My fingers got as tired as my quads! (ok, not quite but still a workout I can do without, especially with risk of carpel tunnel, never mind a... hmmm... ANOTHER high speed crash).

I took my gravel grinder into some easy single track a few weeks back. When it comes to scrubbing precisely certain amount of speed in order to make a corner, it left me wishing for a brake with more precise modulation... DISC!

I've been contemplating switching my regular V's with Travel Agent for a pair of mini-V's. It's reported to be more powerful. However, I know from my own experience of riding both V's and disc, the modulation of disc is simply unmatchable with rim brakes.

By the time you figure in disc hubs and new forks (assuming you can braze on a disc tab on your rear), you're better off with a new bike! Probably "cheaper" in the end too

Last edited by April on 9/2/14 9:09 AM; edited 1 time in total

9/2/14 9:07 AM

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So...for those of you who like D2R2, the Dirty Forty is another event to add to you calendar (though perhaps they'll have to rename it to the Dirty Fifty).

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9/3/14 5:27 AM

Dave, it's ironic that you posted this, as I just looked at the crank last night and discovered that it indeed has a 74mm inner ring. For some unfathomable reason, I just assumed that I couldn't go smaller than a 30 on this crank. I'm ordering a 24t ring which should work great with the 39t outer and the 11-25 cassette. Now I'm just thinking about all of the suffering I could have saved myself if I had only checked earlier!

April, while the Dirty Forty is technically a race, many people do it just for the ride. Between my blowup and Linda's knee problem, we took twice as long to complete the course as the winner and we still weren't last. As embarrassing as it is, our ride time was 6:05 and our actual time on the course was just a few seconds under 7 hours. The "lanterne rouge" was nearly half an hour behind us and both the slowest man and woman were presented with awards, which should give you an idea of the atmosphere at the event. Don't let the "race" reference deter you from riding it!

As embarrassing as it is, our ride time was 6:05 and our actual time on the course was just a few seconds under 7 hours.

9/3/14 7:48 AM

quote:

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As embarrassing as it is, our ride time was 6:05 and our actual time on the course was just a few seconds under 7 hours.

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9/3/14 8:27 AM

Now that the gearing is figured out you could replace just the fork/front wheel and put a cable actuated disc on the front and keep running cantis on the rear, assuming you like the bike. I'd be the last one to talk someone out of buying a new bike but if you really like the bike this is a relatively easy and affordable fix, non-permanent too if you decide to reverse it.

9/3/14 9:13 AM

"I just looked at the crank last night and discovered that it indeed has a 74mm inner ring"

Me too, recently realize two triples here can go smaller than the 30 tooth I assumed was smallest capacity. But the one I most would want to has the bigger bolt circle. Figures.

9/3/14 5:49 PM

Brian, I suggest you forget about time on these rides. They are in the long time/ short space area of the space time continuum. Or in legal parlance, time is not of the essence. My total time for the 160k at D2R2 was 9:15, which I figured was a pretty damn good effort (for me, of course) (and I only stopped twice). That's pretty much 1.5x the time it takes me to do a hilly road century, so that's my conversion factor. If you finish, it's all good!

If things fall into place, I will take a crack at the Mallorca 312 in April. You have 14 hours to finish, and it looks to me questionable as to whether I can do that. I'll pay more attention to time then (sort of).

9/3/14 8:35 PM

Craig, I thought of doing the same thing and there's definitely some merit to the idea. Obviously, it's much less expensive than a new bike. While the braking will improve overall, the difference in the effectiveness of the two brakes concerns me. I'd much prefer to have a better balance between the front and rear.

As it turns out, changing the chainring is no free lunch. After removing 2 links in order to get sufficient tension with a short cage derailleur, I discovered that the smaller diameter of the 24t ring create issues on the outer ring in the outer two cogs. Both of them worked fine with the 30t ring. There is also some occasional slight rubbing on the front derailleur, which is set as far inboard as it can go. I rode it a little on some local MTB trails and the 24 x 25 low gear makes short work of steep climbs. If I find the rubbing issues bother me, I may bump up to a 26t ring.

Dan, we went to the ride with no real expectations and we knew we would be slow. "Embarrassing" was a poor choice of words, it was really just more of a disappointment that we weren't able to ride to our potential. It was a good learning experience and if anything, it set a benchmark that we can use for future rides. We're certainly not discouraged.

I also hear you about recovery. I made the mistake of doing 35 easy-paced miles on Monday in the heat and humidity. It really drained me badly. I felt better tonight, but I only rode for a few minutes to test the gearing. I may do an MTB ride tomorrow with a couple from work, as a change of pace, but my season is definitely winding down (or at least my body is). I had pretty much planned that the DF would be my last significant ride of the year and I may have no choice but to back off and regenerate for a while.

9/3/14 8:39 PM

What front DR is employed?

9/3/14 9:32 PM

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the difference in the effectiveness of the two brakes concerns me. I'd much prefer to have a better balance between the front and rear.

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9/4/14 10:22 PM

There's always been front to rear differences in power, larger discs on mountain bikes, dual pivot vs. single pivot on Campagnolo brakes. I don't think it would be as bad as you think and I suspect you'd get used to it really quickly but one way to tweak it would be to put a mountain bike cable actuated disc on the front since, as you know, the road lever wouldn't pull as much cable as a mountain lever would. You should still be able to do a nose wheelie if things are adjusted properly but you'd have a lot more modulation because of the lower cable pull of the road levers and a more even feel without brake fade and lock'em up braking should you need it.

9/5/14 4:50 AM

Fortunately, Campy Ergopower front shifters aren't indexed like SRAM or Shimano, they have mulitple (4-5) clicks when you shift. That allows them to be used with pretty much any front derailleur and the Campy lever/SRAM derailleur shifts beautifully. I chose the XO because the front gearing on the bike (initially 30/39, now 24/39) is more like MTB gearing than typical road gearing and the cage shape is more appropriate for it than a Campy road front derailleur.