Tag Archive: Mountain Biking

Nov 13

A Swanky Race Report

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After a fun time at the XTERRA Epic race, it was hard to believe that I would be racing another 4+ hour race a week later. My day-job calendar just wouldn’t allow me to race XTERRA Worlds, no matter how hard I tried, so the Epic was another one of those last-minute substitutions. I was already signed up for the Swank 65 endurance mountain bike race along with Dan. He and I discussed it at length, along with many conversations with Coach and Alba. I decided to keep both, even though they were only one week apart. My goal for the Swank 65 had to change though. There was no way I could race the Epic at 100% and also do well at Swank. Besides, I knew that being a multisport athlete going into a race with a bunch of guys that focus only on cycling would be tough, not to mention coming into it with tired legs.

Race: Swank 65 Endurance Mountain Bike Race
Location: Brevard, NC – Pisgah
Date: November 6, 2011
Distances: 36 mile mountain bike with 9300 feet of climbing
Products used: GU Roctane and GU Brew, Maxxis Monorail & Larsen TT Tires, Cobb Plus DRT Saddle, Rudy Project helmet, Scrub Brakes, Crank Brothers Candy Pedals.

I’ve always been told that a good triathlete is not someone who is an outstanding swimmer or an awesome biker or even a super-fast runner. Instead, a good triathlete is someone that can put all three together. The funny thing is, most triathletes, especially at the amateur level like me, are not great at all three sports. They’re just good. If they can be good, and do so at all three sports, they’ll be a great triathlete. If they are GREAT at all three, they’re probably professional. So why am I talking about what makes a good triathlete when this is a mountain bike race report? Keep Reading…

Tags: Blue Ridge, BusyBee, Cobb, Crank Brothers, GU, MAXXIS, Mountain Biking, New Belgium, Pisgah, Racing, Rudy, Scrub, SWANK

Oct 28

Shake-n-Bake, Baby

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Homepage Highlight, Race Reports

by Marcus Barton

Tree Shaker 6 Hour Mountain Bike Race Report – As a last-minute decision (you know me), I decided to do the Tree Shaker. Well, it wasn’t exactly last minute. Dan and I were out riding the Anne Springs Close Greenway trails the week before the race. He had already planned on doing the race several weeks before as a preparatory race leading up the the Swank 65, which we are both signed up for. The Monday following our ride (5 days before the race), I decided what the heck, I’ll do it too. 6 hours of mountain biking sounded fun, and after all, I would be doing the Swank, so it would be great training.

The morning of the race, I gathered up all my water bottles, nutrition, bike and what-not and headed out to the greenway. I was sure that I had too many bottles for the time being spent, but I figured having too many was better than not enough. Besides, one bottle was for breakfast and one for recovery (before beer).

Keep Reading…

Tags: Cobb, Crank Brothers, Fort Mill, GU, Jamis, MAXXIS, Mountain Biking, Racing, Rudy, Scrub, South Carolina

Oct 15

Cobb Cycling Saddles, Review Part 1: SHC DRT Saddle

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Homepage Highlight, Product Reviews

by Marcus Barton

Back in June I contacted Cobb Cycling to let them know how impressed I was with their saddles and to ask a few questions. Up to that point, I only owned one, which was on my road triathlon bike. It was amazingly comfortable, even with 4+ hour rides and I wanted the same comfort on my mountain bike, knowing that later in the year I would be doing some long-distance events. I hopped up to their website and perused the mountain bike saddles, but I had difficulty deciding on which one to buy, thus the reason for my email to them. I informed them of my upcoming events and asked which one they would recommend for me.

Within a day or so, they responded and recommended the Cobb Plus DRT saddle which was an off-road version of the same saddle that I had on my tri-bike. However, given that a lot of my XTERRAs were shorter races, they also recommended I should probably go with the SHC DRT saddle. So with a little hesitation, I pulled the trigger and had them send me both. Since then, I’ve been riding the SHC DRT saddle for a while during both training rides and racing. I wanted to share my thoughts, but before I do, let me give you a little background about the folks over at Cobb.

Cobb Cycling was created by John Cobb, a person that has been around the block a few times when it comes to cycling since his initial involvement back in the early 70s. With his racing background, he was one of the first people to recognize the importance of aerodynamics and a proper bike fit for racing. Over the years, not only have professional cyclists and triathletes requested John’s assistance, but manufacturers continually consult him on improving their products. Not that being aerodynamic has a lot to do with mountain biking, John’s research, particularly the stuff he knows about bike fit and the physiology of a biker, brings benefits to roadies and mountain bikers alike. Also, as it pertains to the this review, his experience designing road saddles, the unique technology and methods of design, carries over into the mountain bike arena.