For the last two seasons my RSL has been my go-to (and only) bike for all of my races and off road riding. It got a little neglected when the Divide arrived in late August, but I just cleaned it up and readied it for for this year’s campaign.
In a previous post I mentioned the Syncros FL 1.0 riser bars which I recently installed. So far they’ve been great and their 700 mm width has had a subtle but positive impact on the handling and overall feel of the bike.
I also opted for white cable housing because it seems like that’s what the cool kids are doing even if it means it doesn’t match the brake lines.
For races I’m likely to use the Notubes Crest 29er wheelset shown here. With the same rims as my custom Chris King wheels they’re almost 100 grams lighter so I’m assuming the hubs aren’t going to hold up as well. For competition I don’t think that matters, but over the course of a season I may need to swap the bearings and possibly the cassette body (and yes, I have the right tools for that).
The bottom bracket still needs some attention as it’s started to creak and I have some plans for new sticker placement to freshen it up a bit. There’s also a new set of Maxxis Ikons sitting at home waiting to be installed when the conditions warrant it. I’ve strongly favored the Ikon for almost all of my riding recently but I was pleasantly surprised with how capable the Aspen was during my first ride at Pine Hill Park. It’s probably a little better on pure rocks as the knobs aren’t tall enough to buckle or deform under load. The casing is a little thicker and therefore more durable which also helps. I may just keep running the Aspens until after my first race of the year in New York where rocks outnumber roots and durability is key.
Total weight as it sits is 22.4 lbs.
My only regret is not being able to ride it more.
If that bike needs to be ridden more, I can help you out. Seriously i’ll help.
Sunday morning ride at Saxon?
Let’s see if we can do something Saturday.