Questions, comments and criticisms
Hey Lee,
Happy new year! Quick question: Am I crazy for wanting to put 165mm cranks on my new Specialized Stumpjumper EVO? My inseam is 32 inches, and I ride aggressive trail, with some XC racing. I hope to squeeze in more pedal strokes in these tight Squamish trails, have more ground clearance and hopefully increase my average wattage by spinning a smaller, faster circle. What are your thoughts?
Nathan
Hi Lee,
Thank for your fast reply … the download link to the Pro BMX Skills ebook works well! I went through the pages quickly and it is very interesting. It’s very difficult to find this kind of book in France.
I had a question/observation … I’m very surprise by the gearings recommended in the book. For example, the book recommended 40/16 for junior and in France it’s common to have 37 or 38/16. Why this difference?
Thx !
Sebastien
Lee, I have a 70 x 120 foot lot, fairly level, in a great location where cyclist are already coming, that I am considering building a pump track on. My intention is to fence it and charge a reasonable fee for the use of it. My question is, what is a reasonable fee to charge and how do you charge? By the hour? I would think it would need to be fenced to control liability. I want to provide a quality place to ride, but I need to cover expenses as well.
Jack
Lee,
I’ve completed my first week of Pump Up the Base and it’s rocking my world (or mostly legs and heart) – THANK YOU.
Can you direct me where “sweet spot” fits in in terms of heart rate zones? I’m using the Wahoo.
Max HR (on bike, estimated) – 175
Zone 5 Speed (anaerobic) – 162-175
Zone 4 Economy (anaerobic) – 150-162
Zone 3 Stamina (aerobic) – 137-150
Zone 2 Endurance (aerobic) – 125-137
Zone 1 Recovery (aerobic) – 112-125
On the sweet spot, I seem to be hitting between 155-165 and getting close to not being able to finish the 3m interval. Am I pushing too hard or do I need to suck it up?!
You’re time’s ultra valuable and I understand if you can’t answer my questions – still thank you for your book and time!
Sincerely,
Travis McAshan
Lee,
Have you ever built a pumptrack surfaced with concrete? I’ve seen a few videos from Europe showing one or two but nothing I can see in the U.S. I asking since I may be trying to approach our city about installing a pump track in a public park and something that would be lasting and require little to no maintenance would be ideal.
I live in La Crosse, WI and even asphalt doesn’t last more than 4-5 years without upkeep/replacement. By the way I like your design and thank you for your website.
Thank you,
Derek
Hi Lee,
I attended your Oct 21st class in Temecula with Jon Farinholt. I was the guy with the white Ibis.
I have been wearing a pair of Sidi SRS Race Dragons (with the twist-up nylon gut tighteners) for the past 10 years. They are tight fitting, lightweight, and perfect for cross country rides but I now question their applicability to the kinds of riding we were doing Saturday that included rocky and tricky technical downhill chutes and descents.
I have also noticed that I am reluctant to unclip (and put my foot down) going down steep (and or) rutted chutes. because the shoes have little grip (probably because the replaceable “treads” are worn down, and this has decreased my confidence and probably contributed to most of my get-offs and crashes.
So I am wondering whether I should get a pair of the contemporary “tennis-shoe” designs favored by most riders today. I do like all the advantages that clip-ins offer though, and I would like to continue to use my XT MTB “mini-platform” pedals.
What are your thoughts and recommendations on this?
Also, thanks for a very very memorable experience. All of us were impressed.
Thanks.
Bill
Hello Lee
I am a huge fan of your books, already got PUTB, P2TI and Mastering MTB skills, they really added a huge increase both in my fitness and skills.
PUTB got me trying XC racing this year, and now that the season is over I’m looking forward next year to improve my results.
Got one question: I just began PUTB, I am on W4 this week, and I’m planning to rock P2PI right after to get in great shape for March, when I have my first races.
I am doing these workouts on tuesday and thursday, and I always get a long, fun MTB ride with friends on sunday morning.
Is that a good strategy?
During the race season, what do you recommand as a workout for the weekday?
Regards
Julien
Lee,
I just bought your Prepare to Pin It training program, and I have a couple questions.
I’m also going to be incorporating some of the workouts from Enduro MTB Training. Should I do those strength/mobility exercises on the easy days of P2PI?
Also, since my main goal is enduro racing and many of the stages are 6-15 minutes long, on the fun/quality ride days, should I try to focus my efforts on rides where I can push at full steam for those longer intervals when I can?
Ryan
Hi Lee,
I’m on week 7 of Pump up the Base now and seeing results! I got a question though, can I stand up on sprints?
Senen
Lee
Question for you regarding my Enduro 29 – is there any reason you would caution me away from a Cane Creek DB INLINE versus a larger volume shock? I’d love to retain the ability to carry a large water bottle … yet am not sure if I’d be better off going with a larger volume air can – either DB AIR CS or Rock Shox Monarch. The current setup has the stock FOX FLOAT CTD, which I’m not a fan of (needing to run high pressure to avoid bottoming out).
John
Hi Lee
I’m the happy owner of a 2011 Specialized Enduro Expert (and of her sister Big Hit 2008) and i love her. i wanted to ask you a suggestion, since i would like to upgrade my FOX RP23 shock to something more beefy. I’m a heavy rider and sometimes i feel the rear end not tracking perfectly the ground. This happens only on long rocky and messy descents (i ride in the Dolomites).
Now i know that specialized uses a proprietary shock size and pivot to attach the shock to the frame, and i wondered if you came with a solution for this.
Thank you for your time, i loved your Mastering MTB skills 😉
Francesco