I’m sure you’ve heard of Google glass by now–essentially glasses with a heads-up display and microcomputer integrated into their design.

What about Google glass in the peloton. Imagine being able to get instant, visual updates from the coach. See your gearing, power output, speed, cadence, etc without looking down. Know how many seconds behind–or ahead–you are from the leader, your target time, or teammates. How about your coach setting a visual power goal instead of hollering over the radio? What about seeing the climb profile in real time? How about seeing the racer status bar normally seen on TV, in your glasses?

Essentially, all of the information available now in various forms, condensed into one location, in a visual format. Immediate information.

It’s a matter of time.

Spearfishing.

Easy spin today. Almanzo Saturday.

I’m running Rocket Ron EVOs on the Superfish now.

Tubeless, ENVE XC rims, typically 23psi front, 25psi rear.

They feel as light as the Ikons I used to run, and seem to roll just as fast.  However, where they kick the Ikon’s butt is in grip.  Grip in corners is much improved–totally confidence inspiring.  I’m making a concerted effort to lean the bike in corners and take advantage of those sidewall knobbies…and they’re holding on to everything I touch.  I’m super-impressed, and super-excited.  These will be the tires I run for Chequamegon.

This.  Is.  Awesome.

Someday, I hope to ride trails like that.  To ride it and set a new course record–amazing.  140 miles, 17,000 feet of climbing, 13.5 hours.  Average of over 10mph for 17,000 feet of climbing and 140 miles of desert mountain biking.

With the latest drivetrain mods, I’m running an XX gripshifter that’s linked to an X0 Type 2 rear derailleur and an 11-36T XX cassette.

Up front, I’m running a 34T MRP Bling Ring, X0 cranks and an MRP chainkeeper.

From a chain retention and shifting perspective, it’s buttah.

Clearance on the MRP is perfect in the highest and lowest gear ratios.  Chain retention hasn’t been an issue at all…the chainkeeper is probably not necessary (but it’s simple insurance, and works well).  Shifting is telepathic.  The XX gripshift is the best shifter I’ve ever used, on any bike.  I have no long-term durability reports yet, but it’s great thus far.  Want to dump the whole cassette?  Go ahead.  Tick off a single gear under load?  Sure.  It will shift, any gear, any time, no complaints.  It’s perfection.  For 1x, I think the gripshift is ideal–simply because it will let me dump the whole cassette.  Bomb downhill, dump the cassette into granny, and climb up the far side.

Any concerns?  One: gearing.  With the climbs around here, a 34/36 gear ratio is more than adequate to muscle up a short, steep climb.  I need to research the climbs at Chequamegon, though.  Moderate intensity climbs of any length aren’t an issue…but long, super-steep climbs may be.  34/36 is 0.94 tire rotations per crank rotation.  If I swapped down to a 32T bling ring, that would be 0.88 t/c.  A 30t bling ring would be 0.83 t/c.

In comparison, the common 32T XX1 setup produces a 32/42 gear ratio, for a low gear of 0.76.  That’s a pretty big jump.  (About 20% more gear reduction than the current setup.

Also in comparison, my old 2x setup offered a 24/36 gearing option, which is a low gear of 0.66 t/c (about 30% more gear reduction than I have now).  (More gearing calcs here).

I’m not running out of gears on the top, even on the road, but I’m worried about prolonged climbs.  I’m not worried enough that I’m thinking about going back to a 2x setup…but worried enough that I’m going to do some research on Cheq climbing.

It looks a little strange…

But there’s no arguing with how it works.

I went to a short Thomson stem and ENVE carbon bars at the same time as the Lefty, so there’s been some real changes.

In short, the front end is way lighter and faster.  Turning is right now, but not in a twitchy or nervous way.  Small bump compliance is noticeably better, large bump compliance is at least as good, stiction is non-existent.  Easy to set the pressure, and the handlebar mounted lockout is a serious boon.  I use it way more than I thought I would…not because it needs lockout frequently, but because I can–it’s there.  It’s easy.  It’s fun.

The difference in front end weight is hugely noticeable…I’ve had to recalibrate hopping obstacles, because with the lighter front end, I’ve been pulling the front up too much, resulting in a lot of tail-first landings.

The bars are something like 800mm wide.  I think I’ll cut them down to around 760ish and see how they feel there.  The DH bars aren’t what I’d pick, but they were a deal I couldn’t refuse.

There is no noticeable deflection, sway, give, etc., in the Lefty or the Project 321 mounts.  Everything feels solid, reassuring, fast.  Fork (strut?) tuning is very, very simple.  The plastic shield does a great job of keeping the fork clean and scratch free.  It’s a great upgrade in every way.  Long term durability will be seen.

In between gravel training, road riding, and real life, I’ve been putting a few miles on the Superfish of late, checking out recent upgrades.  My apologies to regular readers, Spearfish aficionados, and Project 321 for how delinquent this reporting has been.  I’ll have precise details in the next few days.