Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Help a fellow Whiskey 50 rider out--which bike??

2K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  K3N 
#1 ·
Everyone,

I need advice for the Whiskey 50 geared race coming up in a couple of months.

I’ve never ridden Prescott trails and want to be sure that my racing mount can handle the trails.

Ideally, I would ride my Titus Fireline Exogrid 29er with 100mm Reba fork. My tire choice are Maxxis Crossmark tires. I’ve ridden these tires all around Colorado and Utah with no problems. It weighs in at about 23 pounds with pedals.

I also have an Ibis Mojo SL with a Fox 36 fork and more aggressive tires. I could also get some Small Block 8s or Crossmarks and put them on this bike. The bike weighs about 26.5 pounds with pedals and the tire swap.

For some reason, I’m much faster on the Titus except on technical stuff, even with the weights so close.

How technical are the trails on the Whiskey 50?? Can the Crossmarks handle the trails??

Should I ride the Titus or the Ibis??

For those in Colorado, I rode the Kenosha Pass to Breckenridge ride with the Titus and didn’t have any problems, except for the rare section that I would have liked the extra squish.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
J.
wahoo1 said:
Everyone,

I need advice for the Whiskey 50 geared race coming up in a couple of months.

I've never ridden Prescott trails and want to be sure that my racing mount can handle the trails.

Ideally, I would ride my Titus Fireline Exogrid 29er with 100mm Reba fork. My tire choice are Maxxis Crossmark tires. I've ridden these tires all around Colorado and Utah with no problems. It weighs in at about 23 pounds with pedals.
S
I also have an Ibis Mojo SL with a Fox 36 fork and more aggressive tires. I could also get some Small Block 8s or Crossmarks and put them on this bike. The bike weighs about 26.5 pounds with pedals and the tire swap.

For some reason, I'm much faster on the Titus except on technical stuff, even with the weights so close.

How technical are the trails on the Whiskey 50?? Can the Crossmarks handle the trails??

Should I ride the Titus or the Ibis??

For those in Colorado, I rode the Kenosha Pass to Breckenridge ride with the Titus and didn't have any problems, except for the rare section that I would have liked the extra squish.
Titus with Crossmarks, done. The singletrack segment of the 50 is hardly technical and the Crossmarks will roll well on the road sections.
 
#4 ·
Agree w/titus. There are some technical climbs, but ull spend way WAY more time on the long grinds, especially for the 50 race.
 
#8 ·
Phillbo said:
:eek:

That is a lot of climbing !!!
It was - Just over 5k of climbing according to my phone (started at first convenient parking area just off Beeline and turned around about 3 miles down El Oso Rd) - a bit cold on top (still snow in some spots) and I got a late start so rode about last 12 miles back to parking area with head light.

ATV'rs were friendly and courteous and slowed down when passing so as not to throw too much dust.

Aim to do this 3 more times prior to Whiskey . . .
 
#9 ·
Four peaks from the beeline side down to the lake in back is about 55 miles with about 7500 feet of vertical, perfect whiskey 50 training. If my mountain bike is back together this weekend I will join you pnv.
 
#10 ·
One more question . . .

How much food/water do I need to carry??

I have a Wingnut Assault--relatively small pack and Wingnut 2.--much bigger.

I've looked at the course guides, but its hard to tell if 50oz of water and only a couple of bars will get me to each aid station. I would prefer the Assault, but have been contemplating the bigger pack.

Any thoughts??
 
#11 ·
wahoo1 said:
One more question . . .

How much food/water do I need to carry??

I have a Wingnut Assault--relatively small pack and Wingnut 2.--much bigger.

I've looked at the course guides, but its hard to tell if 50oz of water and only a couple of bars will get me to each aid station. I would prefer the Assault, but have been contemplating the bigger pack.

Any thoughts??
I guess it would depend on the temps, but I'd think 50 oz would be enough. Keep in mind, I need to usually force myself to drink and eat. The climb out of Skull Valley can be brutal if it's going to be warm, so if you drink a lot, 50oz might not cut it.
 
#12 ·
I wore a big pack last year and regretted the extra strain.

My logic was it would allow me to roll past every aid station, but this was flawed as my race fell apart and I was stopping anyway.

Double check the following, but last year there was water and food at the 25 - 50 split, Skull Valley, and then of course back at the 25 - 50 split on your way back.

It seems like you could go on the lower end of preparedness if your are willing to stop for refills.
 
#13 ·
I'm quite interested in this beeline training ride your talking about. Are you riding beeline road (87) all the up to the 188 and to the tonto basin/punkin center and back? I feel like I really need to ramp up my whiskey training rides in what little time we have left. Thanks for the info
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top