VirtualBox on CentOS 5

On May 2nd, Dirty Spokes, held their second of four endurance mountain bike races at Ft Yargo park in Winder, GA. The event was a mixed 6/12 hour race with teams of 4 all the way down to solo riders in it for 12 hours with classes for coed teams, single speed, Clydesdale, beginner, sport, and expert.

The day before race day people on the forum were stating that the trail was a bit dusty, and that it could use a bit of rain to help it out. Well, that night it rained buckets. I live 20 minutes away, and it came down for a good couple of hours where I live. Needless to say, while Yargo drains well, none of the parks around here drain that well. The forecast for race day was 40% chance of showers in the afternoon. Only time would tell.

This was my third race, and I tried to prepare for it as well as possible. In retrospect, I still think that I need to refine this process. I am sure that it is just something that is going to take time to get down. First off, get a good bag. One that does not flop on itself when it is not full, and one that has a number of pockets. I think this is one of the things that probably caused me the most grief, rummaging through my bag looking for things.

Another way to prepare is to set all your stuff aside, and pack it the night before the race. For this I would recommend a checklist. Seems like I always forget something on race day. Organization is the way to go. Get any tools you need together. Determine what you are going to take on the course with you, and set it all up. If you are riding with a camel back or similar, load it up with spare tube, chain links, multi-tool, etc. This will make life easier on race day. Don’t forget to make sure you have done any work on your bike that you need to, and that you have test road it.

On race day I got up early, had my coffee and breakfast. Looked like a beautiful day for a race. The weather was great. Loaded up the vehicle and headed over to Ft. Yargo. Got there around 7:30, checked in, and then found where the rest of the Gwinnett Area Trail Riders (GATR) had set up. I started to carry my stuff up to the tent that Trunk Monkey had setup the night before. It was then I realized I forgot my chair, and that my duffel bag needs to be replaced. Also realized that I had not loaded up my camel back with all the essentials. (When will I ever learn).

Pre-race was fun. Hung out with the GATRs. Got to meet a few more that I had not met before, and just enjoyed the mood. Bathrooms were flooded with people. Two stalls and two urinals is just not enough. It would also be nice if people could figure out how to drop a load without stopping up a toilet. Maybe their parents didn’t teach them, or they just have out houses at home. It was then time for the mandatory meeting, which covered the general rules.

Starting line. I am still working on my stamina and speed, and as a result I took a place in the latter half of the starting line-up. To be honest, I think that I picked a good position. Could have moved up just a bit, but anymore than that and I would have been kicked in the arse for going too slow. The parade lap gave a slight indication as to how muddy some of the trail was going to be, but it looked like things might be ok if the weather held. I also think that I should have done a warm up lap. My muscles take a moment to get going.

The first lap was not to bad. After the crowd thinned out I managed to pass a few people, and thought that my pacing was not bad. I knew that there was no way I was going to get on a podium, but I just wanted to improve upon my last performance. My bike was responding great, and I was feeling good. Finished the first lap in about 1:30. I pitted to stock up on fluids (at this point I was already not drinking enough) and to eat a pickle.

With that I headed out on my second lap. Shortly into my second lap, I noticed that my seat seemed to be slipping. I have had this problem before with this seatpost, so I tried to tighten it down just a bit. On mile marker 5 I tried to tighten it down, and managed to break my seatpost clamp. The next 7 miles were ridden with my knees in my chest. On the hill climb I cramped pretty bad, probably from not drinking enough water. Finished out the lap in under 2 hours. It was also on this lap that the skys decided to open up and we had a deluge of rain, thunder, and lighting. The trail looked like a creek in some spots.

Neutral support was great. The tried to fix the clamp, and when that failed, found a clamp off of another bike and put it on mine for $5. Could not go wrong with that. I also realized that my seatpost was bent. That is what I get for riding a hardtail and weighing 205lbs. It was then that I knew I was not going to be able to finish 4 laps. So my goal changed to 3.

My legs were already tired from the saddle position the lap before, but I still wanted to get in three laps, so I headed out. From the beginning I could tell that my heart was not in it. My legs were spent, and I could not force myself to get moving. At one road crossing I stopped for a few minutes and seriously thought about calling it quits for the day. Bob came by and yelled something about needing to be moving. I decided I was going to finish it and got up.

Somehow I got to the last 3 miles when I realized that I had under 20 minutes to spare to finish the lap. The trail was so bad that my front derailleur was not working, and the rear was so-so. Calling a line from “The Blood of Heroes” I summoned the resolve to finish in time. Trunk Monkey passed me, and about 1/2 mile later my leg started to cramp again. I fought it off, got back on my bike and kept riding.

When I crossed the last road to the last 1/4 to 1/2 power-line run to the finish line I asked the guy how much time we had left. He said it was 4:00 pm by his watch. No way, that is when the race is supposed to end for the 6 hour riders. I said we should have at least 2 minutes. He said he wasn’t sure.

The guy in front of me heard it and headed out, and I followed suit. Nearly clipped a tree getting to the mud pit open grass track to the finish, but kept it upright. I gave all I had coming into the finish. It felt great to see people up there cheering you on to the end. I crossed the line to find that I had 1:30 left on the clock. Felt like I was going to puke, but great all the same.

That last lap took almost 2:30 minutes, but was well worth it. I would have liked to stayed and cheered on the rest of the riders, but I had to head on out to my daughter’s ballet recital. Props to all the riders that passed me, include the rest of the GATRs.

Next year, 4 laps.

Tags: biking, Mountain Biking, racing

The Sette Reken frame is a hardtail frame that is available through Pricepoint, an online bike and parts retailer. The bike comes in one colour, Matte Black, and four sizes: 14″, 16″, 18″, and 20″. It is only available online, and is marketed as a Mountain frame versus an XC (Cross Country Frame). It has an MSRP of $250, but sells for $99. It is made of 6061 T6 aluminum, and the given weight of the 18″ model is 4.5 lbs. It comes with mounts for both disc and caliper brakes, has a removable rear deraileur hanger, and comes with a quick release seatpost clamp.

I am 6′ 4″ and ordered an 20″ for my testing/use. From my research, it looks as if the bike has very similar geometry to that of the Specialized StumpJumper with the sizes of the Stumpjumper being 1 inch smaller than that of the Reken. Most bike shop owners recommend that I ride an XL bike, but years of BMX have me never wanting to set foot on an XL bike again. This frame was to be used as my primary bike frame as I was replacing my 2008 Gary Fisher Marlin with the Sette Reken. I purchased the bike through Pricepoint just like any other customer, and did not recieve any special discount or promotions for doing this review. (Just wanted to state this because I sometimes wonder about people that demo “free or loner” bikes.)

Initial opinion. The Reken frame showed up 3 – 4 days after ordering it from Pricepoint. The box was big and had a stamp on it that said made in china, if I remember correctly. Inside the box was the frame, which was packed quite nicely, and the deraileur hanger and cable clips were in a secondary bag. Pulling it out and holding it up I was not sure if it would last one ride. The frame felt light. To be honest though, it is not as if I have a ton of experience looking at frames without all the parts put on them. The paint job was fine and I did not see any cosmetic blemishes or construction issues. The tubes on the Sette Reken are straight, and not hydroformed, but other than that, I was happy with what I had gotten for the price.

The build out. I took the frame to a local bike shop to have the headset, bottom bracket, and crank installed. They chased the threads (helps to ensure proper install of bottom bracket) and installed the components without issue. In fact, the shop guy was impressed with the frame, and mentioned purchasing one for a hardtail he was considering building out. The rest of the components I moved over from my old ride when possible, and new parts where needed. It was my first time running cables, and it took me 2 days and about 4 hours to get it right. Once it was done though, it looked sweet and I could not wait to take it for a spin.

At one point, I had posted my initial thoughts on this frame, and now that I have had the Reken for a few months and have several rides on it under my belt, I am ready to give a full review of how the bike rides. To ensure that I was getting the test out of the frame I rode the bike with the fork locked out and with the fork set regular. Also, I rode trails that I am familar with, and that I know how they have handled for me in the past. Based on this my findings are as follows.

For a sub $100 frame, the Sette Reken rocks. I have read reviews on MTBR.com about the Reken, and was not sure if it was hype from people at Sette or Pricepoint. After riding on this frame, I have to say that those reviews are from real people. I said earlier that the Reken frame has similar geomety to that of the Specialized Stumpjumper. To that note, it acts like it is a Stumpjumper. The handling in turns is nimble and responsive. The “flickability” of the bike cannot be beat. At high speeds the bike remains stable, and it is not jittery at low speeds. When it comes to climbing the Sette Reken is as solid is you could hope for. The Reken climbs like a billy goat on crack. (Not the best comparison, but apt) Best of all, the bike just feels good under you.

My overall opinion is that you cannot go wrong with the Sette Reken frame. It has a 5 year manufacturers warranty, but even if it only lasted a single year, it would still be worth every penny that it cost to purchase it. You may not be supporting your LBS (local bike shop) when you buy this frame, but on the other hand, you are not doling out $600 or more on a name brand frame. That means that you can put your money into other upgrades like your fork, wheel set, or cranks. This frame gets 5 stars from me, and is one that I will recommend to other riders that are looking at doing a custom build or just moving parts off of an old or broken frame.

Tags: biking, Mountain Biking, racing