The ShockWiz is absolutely making me a better mountain biker; hands down.
Climbing and Descending Peavine for a PR is something to which I am completely lucky to have access. My wife and I found this humble house, near spectacular trails that are open almost 11 months of the year. We ride them almost daily. They go up, down, switchback and forth, and they have provided me with a challenge like nothing else that I’ve experienced in my 27 years of regular riding. I’ve been using the ShockWiz since I got here, to help me tune the suspension for my bike, and hers.
But today was special.
I set out from the house to accomplish two goals: Achieve my Xert XSS goal for the day, which was a modest 52 points. The second goal was to continue assessing my rear suspension via the ShockWiz App, as I tweak it for optimal output on this very trail.
The route for the day was the Reno Wheelmen XC course. It was last raced in May of 2019. Covid hit in 2020 and the race itself was canceled. There are some FAST times on this 5.5 mile loop!
So let me tell you about this ride.
I needed just 52 points for the entire day, but after one loop, I had about 30 points, and I had time. The winds were calm, the temperature was great, and I checked the ShockWiz App, which gave me this information.
LAP 2
I made a small adjustment to the rear suspension, going 10 clicks out from fast rebound. I have been making adjustments in 2 click intervals, after 10-20 hours of rides. But, I had NO IDEA whether this would help. Well, let’s look at the Strava records…
https://www.strava.com/segments/20563692/compare/Mjc1MTE0NDU4MjM3NTYwOTY5OCwyNzQ0NjE2MTQyNDY5OTE2MTYw
Here’s the comparison for the segment in STRAVA. ShockWiz really has helped me help myself.
You’ll see that I started off strong, and JUST GOT STRONGER, as I climbed the first half of the lap. Over the course, my Garmin Strava Segment Hunter went from racing myself, to comparing my time and position to the next rider ahead of me on the segment. I was 8 seconds behind this rider. Then I was 4. I finally matched him at the top of the first climb, but then he slipped away, as he was arguably a stronger descender.
It was at that moment, when I reached the final summit, that I decided to trust in the suspension, in my abilities, and in the terrain. The rider on my Garmin fell back as I rolled into Snow Terrace DH. I was in the lead, but just barely. But then, over the next several minutes, I eked out a few seconds here, and a few seconds there, and not only did I set a PR for myself, I beat this rider’s lap from May of 2019, by over 25 seconds! So it wasn’t just on the climb – it was on the descent as well!
I couldn’t wait to see what my ShockWiz App score said. The bike JUST FELT GREAT as I climbed and descended. It felt “connected”. The bike felt smoother. It gave me confidence. The suspension gave me control. When the tires lost control, it was wayyyy out on the edge of the knobs, instead of toward the middle. There was NO floating around or mushiness.
The result on the ShockWiz app?
I’m going to continue to write up my anthology of experience with the ShockWiz, but I had to share this ride with you, out of a sense of urgency. This bike is a 2012 Trek Superfly 100, which has been Frankensteined with parts and upgrades to meet the challenges of Peavine and the Sierras. It may be reaching its’ max potential. I can’t help but believe that with a modern geometry bike and maybe 20-30 more millimeters of travel, I may be able to compete with some of the faster times on the climbs AND descents of this mountain in my back yard.
Thanks for reading!
