Siouxsie Is A Banshee: Great Circle Route Test

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Great Circle Route to Rhodo Using the Powerlines All The Way

 

So today, after completing my chores, I got to zoom out and subject myself and Siouxsie to a baptism by fire test of her front forks...  Today's ride was very rewarding: all the hard work on the front forks has really transformed the bike.  The ride up through Doumont was amazing in that I thought they had graded the road; the bike coasted over it like a magic carpet: no more is the bike clanking, wheezing and smacking me around when I hit pot holes - it just glides over them.  I was bracing myself for the usual abuse and it never came.  I am very impressed with the new springs and emulators and just how much they've changed the bike.  I found myself unconsciously hurtling down the approaches to the tank traps with the front end soaking up everything thrown at it, so much so that I forgot about it and just revelled in the speed, and relative comfort. 

I've always been skeptical about "improvements" to bikes, especially when you read internet rider reviews - it seems every Tom, Dick and Harry have to rave about their farkles and fettles, but really - this works.  It's worth it!  I was half expecting just a rough ride given the springs and nothing else.  But I have to say this is the best bang for the buck I have ever spent on a bike.  It is night and day.  What really struck me is how little I now have to work the bike, bracing myself, or slowing down to circumvent pot holes etc.  I was worried the forks would be too stiff, but they are amazingly compliant up to a point, then they resist.  I was also worried that the forks would be so stiffly sprung that they would buck me: it's not an issue.  The emulators are on a low setting, and they release before the bike pushes back.  I can't believe I've nailed the settings first time, perhaps I can fiddle, but I'm not sure I want to given the improvement.  So here are my settings: Emulators 2 winds; fork oil is 6.5 inches from the top (10 weight);  1/2 inch of preload; 0.55 straight rate springs.

Detail of the approaches to Rhodo via the power line

The ride itself was amazing: I decided to work the bike the best way I knew how, and that was to take it all the way to Rhodo lake via the powerlines.  This is a very rocky trail in places, particularly near Rhodo, with some real grades, many of which I would be going down.  It was a test!  Just before turning left at the bridge and reaching the spot where Andy and I were stopped by snow last May or so, I came face to face with a bear.  It was quite funny.  He stayed on the road and hid behind a tree trunk and peeked at me for minutes.  I was 40 metres away, so stopped the bike, got off and madly tried to change my camera location.  I had it fixed to the rear of the bike, and frantically unscrewed it and tried to screw it into my helmet.  Finally I had to take the helmet off to reattach it.  All the while the bear was taking peek-a-boo looks at me, curious and a little fed up that it had to stop grazing and wait for this noisy idiot to get by, no doubt.  Finally, just like Murphy's Law dictates, I got back on the bike, reached down to press the remote, looked up, and the bear slowly walked into the bush. 

View south down between Blackjack and Decosmos to 2nd lake

The ride itself was fairly easy going up, down was difficult, and very slow going, and it has been really chewed up by quads since the last time I was there with all sorts of loose river rock and large boulders strewn over the surface.  Below are some pictures of what you can expect...

Finally at the lake, I used my magic lure and got nothing in five casts, so I changed to a different colour one, same size and shape though, and bingo: a trout - a good sized one too.  Delicious.