Personally, I felt that my performance today was nothing short of dismal. The scorching sun only made matters worse. After a one month break from the trails, I seemed to have lost some motivation, skill and guts. Perhaps, I pushed a little too hard and fast on several sections, exposing the limitations of my rig and causing a loss of control on at least two occasions.
I was lucky that I didn't crash but I did hit a branch on one occasion, resulting in a solid thud on my helmet. On the first lap, I took a bend too fast and my worn out tires lost traction, sending me off the trail and I teetered on the edge, desperately trying to regain control and slow the bike down. I managed to stop but slipped on my footing.
Today's ride exposed several key weaknesses in my bike when traversing difficult terrain at high speeds. It is akin to using the analogy of a Toyota Corolla AE86 racing against a far more modern Subaru Impreza WRX. While the Corolla can be modified to boost its race performance, there is a limit to this. Once its potential has been fully tapped, there is no way to make it better. Likewise, there are limits I can push my ride.
Compared to XC rigs featuring high-end air suspension systems and groupsets, my Raleigh is a far cry in terms of speed, control and traction. Sometimes, I wish my bike is equipped with a Fox fork or Rockshox SID. Then, at the end of day, I realise I have to be contented with what I have. At slower speeds, my bike is not that bad and in fact, performs reliably. It is not as if I am racing to win every time I take my bike out for a spin. It is time to enjoy the ride.
Total distance: 14km (off-road), 40km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH
I was lucky that I didn't crash but I did hit a branch on one occasion, resulting in a solid thud on my helmet. On the first lap, I took a bend too fast and my worn out tires lost traction, sending me off the trail and I teetered on the edge, desperately trying to regain control and slow the bike down. I managed to stop but slipped on my footing.
Today's ride exposed several key weaknesses in my bike when traversing difficult terrain at high speeds. It is akin to using the analogy of a Toyota Corolla AE86 racing against a far more modern Subaru Impreza WRX. While the Corolla can be modified to boost its race performance, there is a limit to this. Once its potential has been fully tapped, there is no way to make it better. Likewise, there are limits I can push my ride.
Compared to XC rigs featuring high-end air suspension systems and groupsets, my Raleigh is a far cry in terms of speed, control and traction. Sometimes, I wish my bike is equipped with a Fox fork or Rockshox SID. Then, at the end of day, I realise I have to be contented with what I have. At slower speeds, my bike is not that bad and in fact, performs reliably. It is not as if I am racing to win every time I take my bike out for a spin. It is time to enjoy the ride.
Total distance: 14km (off-road), 40km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH
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