So far this season, I’ve raced the Eriksen in both of the 2012 AMTBC enduros.  The first was a four-hour at Mt. Torrens, where I raced solo.  The second was a six-hour at Craigburn Farm, where I raced on a two-man team.

The Mt. Torrens track is always fun with great downhills, but it’s also difficult with long, technical climbs.  My race went well with no mechanical issues.  However, riding across the very fast and rocky top section, I was contemplating the advantages of the 4″ FS 29er following me.  Bouncing off rocks for four hours can be fun, but big wheels and some travel would make it less painful.  In the end, I finished in the middle of the pack at 27th of 45.  More importantly, here’s what happened according to Strava.

On to Craigburn Farm. This is currently one of my favorite trails, and the track layout for the enduro was excellent.  The race covered almost all of the trails in the park, and the conditions were perfect thanks to rain the night before the race.  I’m happy with my six laps (our team did a total of eleven), and I set several personal records (PR) on many segments in Strava.   Better yet, there was a coffee van at the race, so I got to sit and relax with a latte between laps– I’m not sure if that helped my lap tims.  Anyway, of the 20 teams racing we finished 7th: one lap up on 8th, and within a few minutes of 5th and 6th.  Again, here is an account of the race from Strava’s perspective.

Aside from briefly coveting a FS 29er at the Mt. Torrens enduro, I’ve been vary happy with the Eriksen.  The new SID Team fork has been great, and the WTB Bronson 2.3 front tyre has been a good compromise between grip, weight and volume, with grip and volume being it’s strengths.  The 1×9 drivetrain with a 32t ring and 11-34 cassette has worked out well, although the 34t cog has been of limited use– a 33t or 34t ring might make a better pair to the 11-34 cassette.  While I’d like to take the rigid 29er out for another enduro, it’s hard to pass on the relatively cushy ride that the Eriksen’s Ti frame and 100mm fork provide.

Official race results for both races are posted on the new and improved AMTBC site.

Tags: AMTBC, Craigburn Farm, Enduro, Eriksen, Mt. Torrens

This story was posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 9:11 and is filed under Cycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.