Since 1990, Nebraska's Psycowpath mountain bike series has given off-road cyclists the opportunity to experience some of the best riding in the state during its races. I started racing the same year, and aside from the years I spent living in Colorado in the late-90s, the races in the series have been a mainstay of my mountain bike season ever since.
The recent Tranquility race weekend signaled the start of the second half of the 2010 Psycowpath series. It was a three race weekend, but it wasn't a stage race. Each race was scored as an individual event, giving racers three opportunities to score series points. The first event of the weekend was a time trial on the steep, forested bluffs of the Missouri River, at the Lewis & Clark Monument. Then, racers moved to Tranquility Park in Omaha for a short track cross country race on Saturday afternoon. Sunday's event was the cross country and three hour marathon event.
I mentioned the fact that racers had three opportunities to score series points... Well, that didn't really apply to marathon series competitors. We only had one opportunity to score marathon series point, which was in Sunday's marathon race. For Saturday's time trial, I had to run in the Cat 1 Open class. Not a bad thing, but an interesting twist nonetheless...
Unfortunately, my performance in Saturday's Lewis & Clark time trial was defined by my arrival time to the race. After getting lost on my way to the venue (it had been five years since I'd ridden there -- my bad) and thinking I was going to completely miss my start time, I made it to the venue literally 12 minutes prior to my start. Fortunately, all of the driving time while being lost gave me plenty of time to get into my team gear, so when I popped out of the car, I had my helmet on, ready to ride. All I had to do was throw on a number plate and go...
MG...ready to suffer?
...but without a proper warmup, going hard was a brutal awakening. That said, the trails at Lewis & Clark Monument were absolutely primo and my El Mariachi Ti was handling so good that I couldn't resist laying it all on the line. I couldn't believe that, for all the calamity getting there, I was actually riding pretty well on the trail. It was about at that point of revelry that I could hear myself being caught from behind by my minute man, Ryan Feagan. I could tell he was on a rocket ride and if he kept it up, he very well might end up on the top step of the podium.
Little did I know, Minnesota pro, Jesse Reints had thrown down a blazing fast time earlier in the day that would beat Ryan's time by ten seconds, but out on the course, when it was just Ryan and I, and I knew he was putting it all out there, I had to holler for my brother. Once I let him around me, I absolutely buried myself so I could keep cheering "Go Feagan!" and "You can do it!" for as long as I could. You see, Ryan and his wife Roxy are the promoters of the Psycowpath series, so it was very cool to be able to witness this awesome performance from Ryan.
The effort was good enough to help pull me up and around my minute man, and into a fifth place finish in Cat 1 for the day. I guess the way I look at it, any day I can finish 'in the money' is a good day, so I was happy with my ride. And the course was so much fun, I went out for another lap after all the other racers had gone. All alone on the trail, riding at a 'normal' pace, I was able to take the time to enjoy the challenges and the beauty of the Lewis & Clark trail. It was one of those 'this is as good as it gets' moments.
I had to skip the STXC race Saturday night due to my 20th high school reunion... an event I simply couldn't miss.
Sunday's three hour marathon race was brutal. If you ask me what defined the day, it was the heat. At the finish when I got back to my car, the thermometer said 105 degrees. Unfortunately, similar to other times this season, I was not stellar in the heat.
I went into the race feeling confident that I could pull off a victory, but at the end of the day was left standing on the second step of the podium after being soundly beaten by a better prepared competitor. His name is Dale Pinkelman and he was even riding a Salsa -- a 2008 El Santo to be exact.
After taking the lead on the first lap, I had eaked out about a 45 second lead through the first two laps. Then, on the third lap of six we completed that day, Dale came back to me as I began to falter on the course's longest climb, a wide-open, switchback-filled beast that featured an absolutely sweltering with-the-wind section. He made his pass here, and almost immediately had a comfortable gap. I meanwhile, was in trouble. I'd gone out harder than I'd intended to go, and now was paying the price for my earlier effort in the heat. It was going to be a long next three laps. I had plenty of time out there to appreciate how well my bike was working though -- at least it was dialed! I couldn't believe how fast it was letting me flow through the serpentine singletrack on the back side of the course.
In the end, I was able to salvage my runner-up position, despite my challenges with the heat. I have to give a lot of credit to my equipment for helping me get to the line safely, because I was a wreck! I can't remember another bicycle race I was more glad to finish, and as soon as I did, I made a bee line for my Subaru and its ice cold air conditioning. Oh yeah, that's the stuff! In fact, I fell asleep so fast in the A/C that I almost missed the awards ceremony! Fortunately I got back out there just in the nick of time.
Next up is Gravel Worlds on Saturday, Aug. 21, right here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Are you gonna' be joining us? I sure hope so.
------------------ UPCOMING EVENT: TONIGHT AT NORTH CENTRAL CYCLERY, DEKALB, ILLINOIS ---------------------
Tonight, Wednesday, August 18th Salsa will present a preview of some never-before-seen products at an event hosted by North Central Cyclery in Dekalb, IL. Salsa sales manager, David Gabrys will be present with the Mukluk, El Mariachi Ti, La Cruz Ti, the new steel El Mariachi and the background behind our Adventure By Bike direction. He will also be sharing some cool stuff that can only be seen by attendees of the event, so it will be worth your while to make the visit and see what’s happening for 2011.
The event begins at 7pm and will be followed by a campfire (and hopefully S'mores). There will be beer too! RSVP at rideaway@northcentralcyclery.com. North Central Cyclery, 534 E. Lincoln Hwy, Dekalb, IL (815) 758-2403.
First off, let me say that I had amazingly high expectations for the El Mariachi Ti. And those expectations have been met in every way, shape and form by this new frame. As an owner of both early generations of the steel El Mariachi, those who know me well are familiar with my love for the frame. In my opinion, the only way to make it substantially better was to make it out of titanium. So when my friends at Salsa told me the ti frame was happening, I knew I had to put my money where my mouth was. Fortunately, I have a very understanding spouse. Thank you Laura!
I built my El Mariachi Ti up with an eclectic mix of light but durable parts based around a Shimano/FSA 2x9 drivetrain, a Mavic Crossmax 29 wheelset, Salsa cockpit components, a Moots titanium seatpost and WTB saddle and tires. A new red King Sotto Voce headset was the cherry on-top (for me at least).
I haven’t had it on a scale, but it’s clearly the lightest 29-inch mountain bike I’ve ever owned and from others’ comments after giving it the “lift test,” clearly it’s light by their standards as well. My seat of the pants impression confirms that as well… It doesn’t feel like I’m riding big wheels, necessarily. It just feels like a fast, light bike. The perception of mass that many 29-inch wheels have is simply not present here. They still roll, but they don’t feel heavy so they accelerate at will and feel very lively. It’s all benefits, as I see it, especially for someone like me that’s six feet tall.
The major benefit of titanium is the ride quality though, and this is where Salsa really nailed it. For those who have never ridden ti before, imagine the best steel frame you’ve ever ridden, now turn all of its great features up to “11” and take more than a pound out of the frame weight while increasing durability and corrosion resistance significantly. It all adds up to what I like to think of as a frame I’ll keep for life. And with the El Mariachi Ti, that’s exactly what I intend to do.
I’ll be riding and smiling right off into the sunset… But don’t think this is the only titanium Salsa I’m going to own. I already have a Ti La Cruz on order, and when additional titanium Salsa models are introduced, you can bet I’ll be right at the head of the line for a number of those models as well. What’s great in steel will be even better when rendered in titanium – that much I know for certain.
Thank you for making this frame a reality! Two years ago, I asked for this frame and wasn’t sure if it would happen or not, but you came through not just with a frame that met my lofty expectations, but fully exceeded them. I feel honored and fortunate to be able to ride one of these incredible frames.
NOTE: Today's post comes from guest blogger Jason Mahokey of XXC magazine. -ed
I have long been a fan of Titanium bike frames. About seven or so years ago, I had a Ti hardtail and loved it. But it had a flaw...it had little tiny 26-inch wheels and it eventually had to go. By that point, my wife and I had a son, different jobs, and a house purchase, so a Ti 29'er just wasn't in the cards for me.
Fast forward six years to 2010. This year with the help of the tax man and a nice refund, I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on the Salsa El Mariachi Ti. I was super stoked to get this bike, and not just because I love the ride feel and durability of a Ti frame, but because the geometry that Salsa went with was darn close to the geometry of my (at the time) favorite bike the Dos Niner. And the geometry that was different, was better! Knowing that I was getting a sweet Ti frame that was going to fit great made my decision very easy.
I was lucky enough to get my order in early and took shipment of the frame back in April. Seeing the frame in person was amazing. The subdued graphics and lack of decals made it look super swank and classy.
After it was built up I had to wait on some parts and a wheel build until I got it where I wanted. Since I tend to do longer races and rides, my El Mariachi Ti is now built up with a mix of durable and lightweight components: Fox fork, Hope Pro II/Stans 355 wheels, X.0 shifters, Avid Juicy Ultimate disc brakes, XT crank and cassette, X9 rear derailleur, etc. And of course I have some items that are personal preferences at the contact points- like Ergon grips and a Fizik Nisene HP saddle. All in all a build I'm extremely happy with.
So how does it ride you ask? SMOOOOOOOTH! I really couldn't be happier. The frame is compliant, but not a noodle, and has a great snappy feeling on the trail. The term 'flickable' gets used a lot in mountain bike reviews, but darn it, I'm still going to use it here! Because the bike is indeed flickable! I have had three other 29ers and while I loved (and love) those frames, they just lacked that snappy feel coming out of corners and heading uphill. Part of this may come from my wheel build of course, as it's one of the lighter sets I've had. But I also believe much is due to the El Mariachi Ti, its weight and geometry, in particular its shorter chainstay length (17.71, size large).
My first real test for the frame came at the 9 Hours of Cranky Monkey race back in May. The race had a little bit of everything. From rocky climbs and descents to smooth and fast twisty singletrack. My gut told me to use my Dos Niner, but my heart told me to roll the EM Ti. And boy was I ever glad I did! The bike felt great the whole time and after 70+ miles, while I was of course darn tired, I never regretted my bike choice. Its light weight was great going uphill, and the compliant frame helped take the edge off a bit. No, not like a full-suspension or even a soft tail, but its efficiency made up for that and made it a joy to ride. Not to mention it looks swank! Did I mention that!?!
I have lots of plans for my El Mariachi Ti this summer. I'm even going to use it in the upcoming Hill Billy Roubaix race. HBR is a 70-mile race that is a mix of backwoods West Virginia pavement, gravel and dirt roads. Most folks will be rolling cyclocross bikes on. But I will be rolling the EM Ti with a rigid fork and some hybrid 'cross tires. While I don't see myself keeping up with the fast folks on 'cross bikes, I do see myself onboard a bike that I feel completely comfortable on for 70-plus miles of 'God-knows-what' roads.
Over the years I've often been asked or been sucked into web forum posts about what the best all-around or 'ultimate' bike for endurance racing would be. My answer has always been a Titanium 29er. Now I can honestly say that I believe that to be true. I'm looking forward to many miles with my El Mariachi Ti on everything from mountain rock gardens to tight singletrack, and pavement to miles of gravel and forest roads. - Jason Mahokey
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