Ride Report Whiting Ranch - First ride on a 650B, 1x11, & dropper post

Whiting Ranch -Edited for photos!

Updated with photos from today's ride. (Took the advice of some of you guys and managed to get 12 miles and 2400'+ of elevation. )
***In photos, black bike looks like a black bike, haha. The white pedals are temporary. I had to borrow them from my DH bike until I find a nice light weight platform. Any suggestions?

Sorry about the photo filter - I didn't know it was on. I just figured my sunglasses were really greasy.



*** For the scientists - not all variables were controlled to the liking of some of you... This is not a peer reviewed article but just a fun review of a new bike and a Ride Report...

Review:
I got a new bike (Nomad) as a gift so I was anxious to go out and get a ride on!

I've always heard stories about how bigger wheels just roll and roll and I always thought much of it was something implanted into our minds by companies selling the latest and "greatest". I was totally wrong. First off, I am not a very picky rider. I jump on and just roll with the punches. (As long as my brakes are ok - I am OCD about those). With that said, immediately upon entering Whiting Ranch off of Borrego, one encounters that horrendous sand pit of doom.

On my 26" bike, I would increase speed through that last section of the hill, make it half way across the sand and pedal with a high cadence to get me through. The tire marks towards the last part of each sand section always look like a snake going through as my front tire is drifting left and right furiously. On the 650b bike, I plowed through way more sand and then was able to pedal each of the sections with none or very minimal front end drifting.
Result: 650 tire does seem to just "roll".

I get through Borrego a few seconds slower than my PR according to Strava. (I felt that I was pushing much faster through most of the sections minus a couple areas where I had to wait for some hikers to get through.) I wait at the bench for a couple minutes to lower my heart rate. (YES! I do need to rest here as I am very out of shape.)

On to Mustard with a 1x11. Background: I am a proud granny gear rider. I have very poor leg strength. (Sidenote: When I was training Strongman (see avatar) I was able to easily bench press my squat max multiple times. I could even close grip bench press more than I ever squatted, haha. My hips aren't strong either as I used mostly my lower back to lift heavy. Now I am down like 50lbs and even weaker so I could only imagine how weak my legs are now)

So I am feeling good leading up to the start of the steeper section of Mustard. The bike is rolling and I feel that my pedal strokes are actually doing something. I get to the first part and shift into the largest cog. I immediately think, "How will I make it up this hill when I already feel leg fatigue pushing this 1x11 up the very beginning." Needless to say, I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing that big cog switching down only on some of the flatter parts. I get to the top of the hill and rest to help someone struggling with a tire change. (Strava showed that I improved over a minute from my previous PR!)

Heart rate settles and I am off down cactus - this is where the reverb seat post really starts to shine.
Cactus is pretty "flat" in many areas as it takes so much pedaling to continue to carry speed. The Reverb post was amazing as I was able to quickly lower my seat, rail a couple S turns, pop the seat back up, and get back to pedaling in no time! The only issue I encountered was for a split second, I was not used to so much going on at once where I needed to switch gears, push a button, brake, lean, drop a foot, not die, not cry, etc. Then again, this will easily become routine.

At the end of Cactus, I typically have to use all of my energy to grind up that little section with a medium post height on my 26". With the reverb, the transition was like butter. (PR on Cactus Flow, Cactus no climb out, Cactus climb out)

I get on the fireroad waiting for the next switch off thinking that this bike is pretty freaking fast. I do a quick right and am met with some additional S turns and a G out. The bike continues to rail the turns and I can't help but smile at how low the seat can go allowing me to really rail corners! (Sidenote: Due to a kink in the seat tube, my old bike's seat couldn't go very low... makes for some sketchy riding on any steep trails or steep turns.)

I go through the tree sections and all of the trails I have no idea what they are named. The bike continues to just roll, rail, and rip everything. (PR on Whiting Super D and all of those other segments)

I anxiously get home and want to look at my Strava. Set over 20 PRs on this ride including cutting off a minute on the mustard climb! I was happiest with the minute off of mustard as I want to focus on getting some legs (at least a leg to stand on)

For those that haven't ridden Whiting Ranch - I used to never want to ride it because of the lack of steepness and that I'd have to pedal so hard to carry speed. However, I have come to appreciate the small slope of the downhill combined with the tree cover. Definitely a great place to get in a nice short 8 mile loop. After reaching the top of mustard, the gradual decline really makes me feel like I am a strong pedaler as the descent is very minimal in terms of slope, but I can now start to carry good amounts of speed!

In closing - I guess the 1x11 is my "single speed" where it forces me to use what I have without providing the typical granny gear as a crutch. I can only imagine that I will get much faster climbing and pedaling with this set up.


Like on sites
About the reviewer:
A D NOH is really lazy and spent the last three years of his riding life trying to manipulate each ride to get the maximum descent with the least ascent. He was infamously known to go up Lynx just to avoid Cholla. He justified this as it gave him an excuse to hike a bike more frequently as Lynx is just "too steep" to climb. However, he recently decided to change his life and wants to put in the effort by climbing and getting in better shape. He is also very competitive so it makes him sad when he sees that he isn't even in the top 1,000 when it comes to any trail that involves pedaling, haha.

 

sorry. i lost interest when you said no pics. lol.. congrats on the new bike.

 

I'm hitting Whitting twice a week right now, I start with up Dreaded, down Cactus, up to horse stables and down and out.
40 min.

1x11
30 tooth front

Keep at it, you will eventually get stronger

 

There are a lot of different routes you can take in whiting to get more miles. Just going up and over really cheats yourself unless you're hurting for time. Keep climbing.. it will get easier! Congrats on the new bike - always fun to ride new!

 

Great review, now we need some pics!

 

I went much slower on one of them bike's. I know it takes time to adjust, but descents were sharp and responsive.

I wish i had a new bike = )

 

I wish I had a small fraction of your legs. I've seen your strava times, haha.

Nmeofun - yeah, I know there are a lot of places to go besides up and over, but being a solo rider it's always hard to just start exploring new wilderness. Being a slow rider makes me not want to ride with people, haha. It's a viscous cycle.

I'd love to be able to start connecting all of these trails and just start pedaling. In due time I suppose. One of the things I like better about Aliso is that I am able to climb nearly 2000 ft with 12 miles of riding vs. Whiting's smaller loop.

Yea I broke rule #1 about a good RR - including photos, haha.

Thanks guys!

 

^ You can @ whiting with double the Distance. Two hours, 22miles with 4200ft elevation. All with out having to do Dread = )

Vista x1
Cattle pond X4
Mustard x3
4corners 2 Marks Bench x4
Vulture x1
Whiting Rd x2 - If i remember right..

Aliso is great and all, but it goes just as fast as whiting that of the same standard loop's.

 

What Mr. Carbon said - there are many ways to add distance, climbing and fun at Whiting.

Try doing the standard loop, but go left at the kiosk at the end of Borrego and turn right about 50 yards up on to Cattle Pond, which drops you back on to Mustard. Do the usual climb up Mustard then down Cactus and Sleepy Hollow, but as you exit Sleepy Hollow, go right up Whiting Road instead of left toward Serrano Cow Trail. Whiting Road takes you back up to Four Corners, where you go down Cactus again then go left instead of straight. That will take you up to Vulture View and Sage Scrub, another flowy and fun singletrack that connects right back into Sleepy Hollow again.

I'll also sometimes add the short climb from Four Corners up the back side of Dreaded to Mark's bench. That adds to the descent all the way out to Portola Parkway - on Strava this is the Whiting Super D.

These are each relatively short extra credit loops (well, the Whiting Road climb is a grinder), but added to the normal loop you can make your ride anywhere from 12-18 miles and 1400-2000+ feet of climbing. Of course there is much more that can be added in Whiting (not to mention STT/Old Camp/Luge, Oakley, etc.). I've seen and done rides in Whiting that totaled 25+ miles and 4k+ climbing without leaving the park and without substantial repeats.

Ps: Congrats on the new Nomad - now post some pics of your rig!

 

Thanks for the suggestions! Added a few miles and got over 2400 feet of climbing today! Also, added some photos.

Dreaded hill seems like a nightmare to climb. That's definitely going on my to do list. I am not good at climbing but I do enjoy setting and achieving goals.

 

Congrats on the new ride! Great to see you are loving it and getting some new bike fun motivation. Sounds like we need to get a group Whiting-Luge ride put together soon with a Cooks beer break in the middle :beer:

 

Congrats!

 

Written like a true cyclist!

 

Mario,
You of all people shouldn't forget Edison for extra vertical, since you showed it to so many of us and the unofficial ambassador of whiting ranch...

 

A good way to add miles and elevation to a ride at Whiting is to drop out the back entrance of the park near the water tower and include Santiago Truck Trail to the Luge or all the way up to Old Camp. You can finish the loop through Whiting (Cactus, Sleepy Hollow, etc.) on the return leg.

 

Yea the next day I did whiting and the luge. I got lost and went left on silverado for like half a mile, haha. I felt that something was wrong so I wisely turned around and made it to modjeska grade.

It was only my second time on the luge and the first time was in 2008 so I forgot how long the climb was. I kept getting scared about getting lost, haha.

I did make the mistake of not resting before I went down the Luge. Quarter way down my legs and hips were getting so tired, haha

fun day to explore!

Plus I am really starting to like that sage brush trail off of vulture view! I'll have to add that after cactus now.

 

I'm not the fastest either if I'm honest. Shaving seconds off a previous time has never been a priority for me. A big part of what I get out of mountain biking is decompressing from life's demands, so if I'm worrying about my times, I'm not chilling like I should (like you, that's a big reason I ride solo much of the time). If you can manage to get out and ride at least three times per week, you'll inevitably get stronger and faster

 

I am lucky if i get to ride once a week myself but same deal i aint in a hurry i still like to challenge myself on a climb but i will stop and take a break look around check the view and move on.