# Northborough RAL (ride at lunch)



## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

Finally got out and found some trails and tested out Jeffs bike.

The trail is called the Stirrup Brook Trail and starts in the HS parking lot that's a 2 minute ride from my house. Nice twisty single track, nothing really technical, but has a decent flow with lots of up and downs, a few hairpin turns, and rock walls. It doesn't get much use as the trail was covered in pine needles and pine cones. I kept my speed down because it was pretty slippery and well I'm out of shape. I've been doing a lot of running lately, but it's just not the same.

The bike. Really my first ride on a FS. The frame feels pretty good to me. I might slide the seat back a little. A couple things I had trouble with. Maybe it's the disc brakes, but I felt I got a little too forward on the front tire in a few spots. See if I can stiffen up the front fork and get the seat back. I hit the cranks a little more than usual, I think I just need to get used to the rear suspension and when it rebounds. The bottom bracket has an inch more of clearance and the cranks are the same length. More riding is needed, but I felt pretty comfortable on it fit wise.












The HS has a pretty cool obstacle course. Rope ladders, zip lines, tire swings, balance boards, and other random stuff to climb over and through:





Some randomness:





You can see all the pine cones on the trail here. the trail actually runs to the right of the tree and then cuts left over to the rock wall.










Hope to do some more exploring at least once a week from here on out.


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## bvibert (Apr 23, 2010)

Nice!  

Did you set the correct sag on the front and rear before heading out?  Having it dialed in will make a big difference in how it performs.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

bvibert said:


> Nice!
> 
> Did you set the correct sag on the front and rear before heading out?  Having it dialed in will make a big difference in how it performs.



Yeah, I have no idea how to do that. Jeff didn't give me any manuals ..

I'll have to see if I can download them.


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## Marc (Apr 23, 2010)

Is it a coil or air rear shock?  You will be SOL without a shock pump if it's air.  Same with the fork.


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## Marc (Apr 23, 2010)

Thanks for the pics by the way, looks like fun.


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## o3jeff (Apr 23, 2010)

I just added a few more psi to the fork and shock since he is a few lbs heavier than me, I think. I have all the manuels and set up guide for it. You'll need to get a shock pump since I only have one


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## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

I'll get a shock pump, anything in particular I should look for?

Also, can I use different shifters with the sram derailleurs? Those are poorly designed IMHO.


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## o3jeff (Apr 23, 2010)

This is what I have, but any will do the trick
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Shock-Gauge-Silver-Black/dp/B00165Q912

You either like the sram type shifters or you don't. I don't think you can switch the shifters to a different brand/style, maybe someone smarter will chime in.


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## bvibert (Apr 23, 2010)

You're stuck with the sram shifters unless you change out the rear derailleur too.  Sram rear derailleurs are not compatible with Shimano shifters (the only other choice in trigger shifters).  You could switch to sram grip shifts, which some people swear by, if you wanted to.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

bvibert said:


> You're stuck with the sram shifters unless you change out the rear derailleur too.  Sram rear derailleurs are not compatible with Shimano shifters (the only other choice in trigger shifters).  You could switch to sram grip shifts, which some people swear by, if you wanted to.



Grip shifters are worse. I'll just get used to these.


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## bvibert (Apr 23, 2010)

You could potentially use the derailleur from your old bike and get some new shifters...  If the derailleur is still in good shape that is.  I really dislike the sram shifters too, so I feel your pain.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm going to keep the old bike intact. I may still want to ride HT at times and it will be good for riding around with the kids.


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## bvibert (Apr 23, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> I'm going to keep the old bike intact. I may still want to ride HT at times and it will be good for riding around with the kids.



That's what I figured, but I wanted to throw it out there.  I _may_ have a Shimano rear derailleur I could give you, I'd have to look though...

Does the bike seem to fit you well?


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## wa-loaf (Apr 23, 2010)

bvibert said:


> Does the bike seem to fit you well?



I think so. I want to make a few tweaks and take a longer ride before I make a final decision.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 26, 2010)

Ordered the shock pump, will be here tomorrow. I also downloaded the manual and my weight puts me at the top end for the psi. I'll check where Jeff set it and pump it up more if needed. I guess I also need to play with the rebound as well.


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## o3jeff (Apr 26, 2010)

Also, check the tire pressure, might be more than your use to in there too. I tend to run them high since I hate changing tubes on the trail due to pinch flats.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 26, 2010)

BTW I was reading some of the pump reviews on Amazon and there are some real morons out there. "really nice pump, but it took forever to pump up my tires" :smash:


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## bvibert (Apr 26, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> BTW I was reading some of the pump reviews on Amazon and there are some real morons out there. "really nice pump, but it took forever to pump up my tires" :smash:



Couldn't imagine why??? :-?






:lol:


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## o3jeff (Apr 26, 2010)

I was running the fork at 125(they say you can goto about 225psi) and the rear shock around 160 for my weight(185). Just bring the shock pump with you on the ride so you can play around.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 29, 2010)

o3jeff said:


> I was running the fork at 125(they say you can goto about 225psi) and the rear shock around 160 for my weight(185). Just bring the shock pump with you on the ride so you can play around.



Pumped up the rear to 185 and the front 170! Tires were a little low too. Taking it out tomorrow.


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## wa-loaf (Apr 30, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> Pumped up the rear to 185 and the front 170! Tires were a little low too. Taking it out tomorrow.



Felt much better today with suspension pumped up and the seat pushed back a bit. Only hit the pedals once on the ride. I do have trouble getting around tight turns especially hairpins. That might just take me some practice since the geometry is different than what I'm used to.

Rear brake squeaks a bit from rubbing. Anybody know the best way to take care of that?


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## o3jeff (Apr 30, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> Felt much better today with suspension pumped up and the seat pushed back a bit. Only hit the pedals once on the ride. I do have trouble getting around tight turns especially hairpins. That might just take me some practice since the geometry is different than what I'm used to.
> 
> Rear brake squeaks a bit from rubbing. Anybody know the best way to take care of that?



The brakes are mechanical, turn the red knobs(one on both sides of the caliper) to adjust in or out.

I can only do a tight hairpin turn to the left for some dumb reason.


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## bvibert (Apr 30, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> Felt much better today with suspension pumped up and the seat pushed back a bit. Only hit the pedals once on the ride. I do have trouble getting around tight turns especially hairpins. That might just take me some practice since the geometry is different than what I'm used to.
> 
> Rear brake squeaks a bit from rubbing. Anybody know the best way to take care of that?



Take it off...


Seriously; make sure the rotor isn't bent, it's not hard for them to get slightly bent and then rub in one spot.  If it's bent then try to bend it back.  You won't get it perfectly straight, but you should be able to get it straight enough.  What kind of brakes are they?  BB7s, or BB5s IIRC?  You'll generally want to make sure the caliper is centered over the rotor.  If it's a BB7 then you can cheat a little with the pad wear adjustments on either side of the caliper.  There's pretty good setup instructions for Avid brakes on SRAM's website.  I'm not really sure all of the details since I've never actually worked on any cable actuated disc brakes, but I've done a lot of reading on the BB series of brakes since I was going to get a set a while back.


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## wa-loaf (May 7, 2010)

Got another ride in today. Getting into the groove with the bike and the trail so I'm making much better time. The trail is also getting a little more traffic so the pine needles and what-not are getting cleared off some. Crossed over rt 20 today and there's a lot more trail over there. More rolling and twisting stuff that's not very technical but very fun. It also seems to be in better shape as far a debris on the trial goes. Found a bunch of junked cars too.


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## o3jeff (May 7, 2010)

Always nice to explore new trails and see what had been left behind. I wish I had trails near my house that I could ride to.


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## wa-loaf (May 7, 2010)

o3jeff said:


> Always nice to explore new trails and see what had been left behind. I wish I had trails near my house that I could ride to.



If you are passing through on a Thurs or Fri around noon, give me heads up and we can go for a ride.


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## severine (May 7, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> If you are passing through on a Thurs or Fri around noon, give me heads up and we can go for a ride.


Should he bring a comforter? Can he take a shower at your place?


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## wa-loaf (May 7, 2010)

severine said:


> Can he take a shower at your place?



Only if Greg says it's OK.


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## wa-loaf (May 28, 2010)

FINALLY got back out on the bike again. It took taking the afternoon off so I can fit in everything I need to do before heading to Maine tomorrow. Good ride all the running is paying off fitness wise. Got all the way to Boundary street this time around. Didn't take pics, but I did get the gps going on it so here's the ride: http://rnkpr.com/a65wqa

Lots of poison ivy has popped up since I last went. Don't think I hit any, but I feel itchy ... so I washed myself down. Now lunch and lawn mowing.


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## HD333 (Jun 1, 2010)

wa-loaf

I was thinking of doing part of that ride on Wed after work around 6:45, starting at Boundray Street hitting  RTE 20 then turning  back, what do you think just under 3 miles roundtrip? I want to make sure I am done before dark. If I don't pass out on the ride out maybe I will cross 20 if time allows for it.

Seems like a pretty flat ride, which is what I am looking for.

Are there any signs at the start of the trail on Boundray, how is parking?

TIA.

HD


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## wa-loaf (Jun 1, 2010)

3 miles sounds about right. I did both sections in about an hour so you should have no trouble finishing in time.

They are rebuilding the bridge on Boundary street, during the day the parking lot is full of workers trucks. Afterhours might be better. Or you can park on rt 20 at the pull-off right before the Jehovas Witness church and ride it the other way.


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## HD333 (Jun 3, 2010)

Rode the Coyote trail last night.  Went across rte 20 to the AHS fields (bird something or other trail) and back.  GPS said 4 miles about 35 minutes (still getting my legs/lungs in shape)
Nice trail, like wa-loaf said not very tecnical but a few small obstacles that made it fun. No real climbs either which is exactly what I was looking for.  A couple of nice switchbacks.

Saw some deer during the ride 3 of them in one of the open fields.  Hoping to do the same ride Friday AM or late afternoon.

HD


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2010)

HD333 said:


> Saw some deer during the ride 3 of them in one of the open fields.  Hoping to do the same ride Friday AM or late afternoon.
> 
> HD




If you can meet in the HS parking lot around noon. I'll ride with you.


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## HD333 (Jun 3, 2010)

No can do. Working my kids school's BBQ from 10:30-1:00.  Ever get out there on a weekend?


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2010)

I might be able to do a Sunday morning.


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## HD333 (Jun 3, 2010)

When and if you get out on a weekend post it up here or PM me and we can try to meet up.  If you ever see a black 4runner at the trail head on Boundry St then I am out there sucking wind somewhere on the trail.

HD


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## wa-loaf (Jun 8, 2010)

HD333 said:


> Rode the Coyote trail last night.  Went across rte 20 to the AHS fields (bird something or other trail) and back.



FYI if you wound up at the athletic fields you took a wrong turn. The trail wraps around the HS and either ends up in the front parking lot or on Bartlet St. The round trip would be more like 6 miles.


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## HD333 (Jun 8, 2010)

I went out again, same loop, and I apparently never went on Birdsong Trail.  I stopped again at the AHS Cross Country trail.  Where I stopped I could either go left or rigth (looking at the fields) Whateveer I was on was pretty flat and fun.  I am going to start tracking it with Runkeeper on my phone and see what it looks like.

I did take the trail that starts in the AHS parking lot once to the same spot.  Sounds like when I hit the AHS Cross Country trail from Boundry I need to go left to get over to the Bartlet St entrance/exit.  Tomorrow AM (8:30ish) may be the day for that if I can clear the cobwebs out from the DMB concert tonight, may be a good idea to sweat out some toxins...
HD


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## wa-loaf (Jun 8, 2010)

HD333 said:


> I went out again, same loop, and I apparently never went on Birdsong Trail.  I stopped again at the AHS Cross Country trail.  Where I stopped I could either go left or rigth (looking at the fields) Whateveer I was on was pretty flat and fun.  I am going to start tracking it with Runkeeper on my phone and see what it looks like.
> 
> I did take the trail that starts in the AHS parking lot once to the same spot.  Sounds like when I hit the AHS Cross Country trail from Boundry I need to go left to get over to the Bartlet St entrance/exit.  Tomorrow AM (8:30ish) may be the day for that if I can clear the cobwebs out from the DMB concert tonight, may be a good idea to sweat out some toxins...
> HD



Once you cross over rt 20, it becomes the stirrup brook trail. There's a map of the whole trail here: http://northboroughtrails.org/MAPS/ARHS.pdf


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## wa-loaf (Jun 8, 2010)

I did the Coyote trail yesterday. That seems like the toughest one of the bunch (not saying much), but it has more up and down and a small rock garden. Ends up running parallel to the Assabet River on an off angle trail that was tough to ride. I turned around because the ground was still really soft from the rain over the weekend I kept sliding down toward the river. Here's my track which got pretty screwed up, but I did attach a pic of the section near the river: http://rnkpr.com/a6hize


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