Ride Report Spearfish Maiden Voyage @ The Weedpatch

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BikeThePlanet

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I caught a break with the weather cooling down enough to ride and found a group ride at The Weedpatch so that I could finally get the Spearfish on some dirt. New trail, new bike.

Quick impression of the bike . . . underwhelmed. I guess the suspension stuff is going to take some getting used to. I thought climbing with a 2x10 would be better than the 1x9, but the suspension made for a lot of climbing headaches. I heard people talk about this in regards to the El Mar, "That thing must climb great.", etc. I never understood what they meant until now. So, the descending must have been better. I didn't notice much difference. A little less bumpy. I assume it was just the trails, nothing too tough on the route I went today.

Riding in general I felt like I was bobbing up and down. Plus, it makes noises and that freaked me out at first until I realized it was just the fork. Riding through sand was tougher. I think I will need a new saddle. The most uncomfortable saddle I have ever ridden. The bike just seemed loose. I don't know a better way to explain it.

Anyhow, on to the ride.

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We were joined by a pirate (or so I assume considering the birds).

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There was more climbing than I expected. We broke off into three groups. I started with the Beginner+. I figured new bike, new trail, and not familiar with most of the riders. I switched to the Intermediate group early into the ride as I was stuck behind people who couldn't do switchbacks and were going too slow. Nothing wrong with that, I am no world class rider. I just wanted to test out the bike more.

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There was some sketchy stuff that I hadn't ridden before.

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More climbing than I anticipated (~1,900 ft over 11 miles). I have no idea why I was smiling. I was dragging all day

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Nothing like a good HAB. Bridge was broke in this section.

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Did I say climbing? Yep that is me dragonass at the end.

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There are trails everywhere out there. I am definitely going to have to go back. After riding in NorCal earlier this summer I am definitely hating this dry SoCal dust everywhere. And I see why they call this The Weedpatch. I was bleeding more after this ride from dry bushes/branches than my last two crashes combined. Does it get green earlier in the year?

Anyhow, great ride. I haven't ridden much in the last month and it really showed on the climbs. I was dogging it more than usual. I wish I was more excited about the new bike after the first ride, but I think I just need to let loose on familiar territory and compare the feel versus trails I know. Everybody was loving the bike.
 
Hey BTP,

That was the biggest group that I have ever seen at the dog park this morning (40 riders). You must have been in Doug's group. I was co-leading the last group this morning with Ladera Dave and Marlon. We had a great time out there and the weather was a lot cooler than yesterday.
 
If this is your first full suspension bike, you really have to take your time with getting the sag right. Its hard to explain, but you have to get the bike "balanced", meaning the front and rear are working together and not fighting each other for it to pedal right, descend, etc...So sag is very important, but also pay attention to your compression and rebound settings. Make small changes and ride. I have ridden full suspension bikes for a few years now and every time you get a new bike it takes a while to get that "balanced" feel. A very good friend of mine and has a Spearfish and he swears by it. He did the Sierra 60 with it up here in Tahoe, 60+ miles and ~10,000ft of climbing. Take your time, small adjustments, and have fun.
 
Full suspension is not for everyone, But I suspect once you play with air pressure and and also tire pressure you should at least get a nice reward on the downhill. When it comes to climbing, i'm not sure it going to out climb your rigid el mar. As far as the seat goes , my El mar Ti came with a WTB rocket V that felt like I was sitting on my cheese grater. I swapped it for one of my cheap bikesdirect seats that I have laying around and its fine. A seat is a seat you have to find one you like.

I have a brand new WTB Volt Saddle that I just pulled of of my wifes Superlight 29er you are welcome to try it and if you like it you can have it.

Listen to others about full squish , get a shock pump if you don't already have one.

Good luck.
 
Dang. Sounds like you lost some new bike stoke on your maiden voyage.

I agree with the others regarding making sure the suspension is set up properly, etc. Very few full suspension bikes will climb as well as your hardtail but they can come close when set up right. And the descending can be so much more rewarding that it's normally worth the trade off! Don't lose faith!
 
It'll get better with time (I told you it sucks up energy), once the suspension is dialed in you'll like it a lot more. Weedpatch is fun! One mile there = 2 miles anywhere else ( my first time there was a night ride...) but it's a FTon of fun! Glad you had fun (even if you don't think it was...at the moment)
 
If you are used to riding a fully rigid bike and climb out of the saddle it takes some getting used to sitting and spinning on a full suspension bike. Full suspension bikes do not come alive until the trail gets tech and you ride them hard. Getting on a suspension bike and expecting it to perform like a hardtail is not a realistic expectation. Spearfish is not a long travel bike and with proper setup you should get rid of most of the pedal boob. Also the way you pedal has a lot to do with pedal boob. Maybe you need to learn to pedal in circles and not mash. Develop different riding styles for different bikes. Riding time will help you with the loose feeling it is not loose you are just not use to the behavior of suspension.

Dean
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pho'dUp said:
The Spearfish is one of the best climbing frames I've ridden.
Click to expand...

It did make a difference at the end when I remembered to turn the lockout on.

dstepper said:
If you are used to riding a fully rigid bike and climb out of the saddle it takes some getting used to sitting and spinning on a full suspension bike. Full suspension bikes do not come alive until the trail gets tech and you ride them hard. Getting on a suspension bike and expecting it to perform like a hardtail is not a realistic expectation. Spearfish is not a long travel bike and with proper setup you should get rid of most of the pedal boob. Also the way you pedal has a lot to do with pedal boob. Maybe you need to learn to pedal in circles and not mash. Develop different riding styles for different bikes. Riding time will help you with the loose feeling it is not loose you are just not use to the behavior of suspension.

Dean
Click to expand...

I think you are right on the pedaling technique. I am used to one style of riding and now get to experience something else. With the 1x9 I am used to mashing and definitely standing and mashing (especially as I tried not to alway be in the lowest gear when climbing).

Anyhow, new dirt is good (even if it is dry as hell). I can't wait to ride harder (especially on the downhill) on some trails I am more familiar with and really testing this suspension stuff out.
 
As has been mentioned multiple times already, experiment with the sag and the settings. The SF rear shock is particularly sensitive to the psi/sag to where just 5 psi makes a noticeable difference. It's a simple SP system, but Salsa seems to have made it capable of performing well outside of its 80mm travel limitations; it can be ridden stiff like a HT or become more active like a trail tuned 100mm travel...just not both at the same time. I would start with 1psi per lb of body weight and then knock off 10psi from that number. See how close that gets you to 25% and adjust 5 PSI at a time. I prefer 30% when I want it to be plush and 25% when I know I'm not going to be riding a trail like rock-it or taking any minor jumps like the one after four corners going into Cactus at Whiting. Take your shock pump out on the trail with you and see what the sweet spot is for you, it'll be worth the hassle to improve your riding experience or to attain a good comparison to a bike you want in the future.

Here is a relevant thread to search through but basically expands on what I've written: http://forums.mtbr.com/salsa/tuning-monarch-r-spearfish-794727.html
There are many other threads on this subject also. The answer isn't complicated, it just requires a little work and commitment on the rider's part.

The saddle is often referred to as marmite because either people love it or they hate it. I personally love it, so that's just good luck for me and you should not have too much trouble selling it through the intertubes. Maybe try a chamois?

YMMV, IMO, IME, my .02 cents, etc.
 
BTP - very difficult to try a new bike at a spot you've never ridden - especially if the new bike is drastically different than what you are used to riding. Going from fully rigid to full squish is a substantial change (OK, there's room in that sentence for a juvenile joke or maybe even sig material).

You mention sounds that you attributed to the suspension. The only sound the suspension should make is a slight whoosh sound as the rebound damping activates (extension after compression). There should be no other sounds coming from your suspension - no squeaks, rattles, clicks, burps, slurps, farts, dings, tings, hums, bleeps or blorps.

BTW BTP, a properly set full squish will outclimb rigid on bumpy surfaces - roots, rocks, ledges - in or out of the saddle. Enjoy.
 

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