By Eddie Arnet
XC photo by Terry Martin; cyclocross photo courtesy of Dorothy Wong
I'm going to tell you a little secret. Following the initial review of the Titus Racer-X, we've done absolutely nothing to it other than basic maintenance. Even after 75 hours of racing. After winning the Southridge Racing Club number one plate...SRC Winter XC & ST Series...SRC Spring Fling XC Series..Rim Nordic XC Series...Mark J. Reynolds Memorial Stage Race...and the Urban Cyclocross Series. It was almost the perfect season aboard the perfect bike.
WHY MBA CHOSE THE RACER-X FOR ME
After spending 2 months aboard the 18 pound full-suspension Extralite, I was all about light weight. But the MBA staff persuaded me otherwise. After going over my strengths and weaknesses, Jimmy Mac, RC, John and Ryan all felt that not only did I need a light bike, but also one that was easier to ride. My biggest limiter is steep climbing, and an insanely light bike with a severely hunched over layout isn't going to help. The staff felt I would be better served by a light bike with the ultimate handling spec and a more upright, chest-expanding climbing position.
Titus' Racer-X has been a long time favorite of MBA, and seeing how much success it has had on the Norba circuit, it was the most natural choice for me. While Titus' Chris Cocalis offered to match the weight of the Extralite, it's not the bike the staff wanted me to race because they all felt I would be faster aboard a different build. That build ended up being the same as the standard Racer-X spec.
The original test of the Racer-X is in the July 2005 issue. I felt more competitive aboard the Titus because not only did it allow me to capitalize on strong bike handling and descending skills, its more harmonious climbing performance helped minimize my biggest limiter.
After five races, I made the one and only change. That change was a switch to Stan's Olympic Disc low profile wheelset with tubeless-converted 2.0 Kenda Karma DTCs. The recommended Kool-Stop brake pads were run with Stan's aluminum rotor. Stan's wheelset took a good pound off of the Racer-X, most of it concentrated on the outer circumference of the wheel. With Bebop pedals my Titus hit the line at a phenomenal 21.5 pounds.
BEST FOUR IN THE BUSINESS
What the Racer-X does better than any other four inch bike is that it totally isolates the suspension from pedal and brake feedback. Even with the Fox Float RP3 shock set to its lightest platform, the Titus pedals and sprints with committed acceleration. Conversely, even when set to the hardest platform position, the Racer-X responds with superb traction on chewed up climbs and simply erases braking bumps. This is as good as cross-country suspension gets.
STILL KEEP YOUR SENSIBLE RESERVE!
Although the Racer-X typifies perfect handling, I crashed it during its maiden race, the fourth round of the SRC Winter Series. It happened during the short track. I was overly captivated to be back on four inches of travel and on a bike with such superb handling. While leading I went too hot through the high speed sweeper heading back into Southridge Park. The berm gave way and down I went.
I frequently not only had to remind myself that there is a limit to tire traction, but also a limit to tire durability as well. Aboard the Titus you can pretty much blast through rough, rocky terrain as fast as nerves allow. But I soon learned how that was a good way to cut up lightweight race tires. In our fourth race, the final SRC Winter Series Short Track, I sliced a tire sidewall taking a hard inside line edging against sharp rocks.
It took one more race weekend to finally learn my lesson. In the 57 mile Vision Quest I ripped up another sidewall while pinning it down Trabuco Trail. The Stan's sealed it right up but the cut kept reopening. I opted to ride in the remaining 4 miles with a flat (a mistake) for 14th overall and first 45+.
YEAR'S WORTH OF RACING NOTES
Here are some of the standout Racer-X notes:
*The low profile Olympic Disc rim finally taught me to start using lower tire pressure. I'm now running 32 psi in the Stan's-converted Karma DTCs. The reward is superior bump and turning control, first rate power transfer and improved climbing traction.
*There's no need to use the special rubber rim strip option with Stan's low profile rim. A tubeless-converted tire airs up so easily it literally jumps on the rim by itself.
*I used Kenda 2.0 Karma DTC tires for all but two races. For the Vision Quest and the $200 Eric Bierman Bounty Super D I used the slightly heavier duty Pro version of the Specialized 2.0 Roll X. What both of those tires have in common, and the reason they work so well, is that they are large air volume designs with a casing width that matches the tread width. In certain conditions this "opens" the sidewall up to more terrain abuse. The moral of the story is that you can't ride stupid fast across all types of terrain. (Just across most of it...)
*Bad sidewall rips are hard to seal on lightweight tires because there's little material and lots of casing flex.
*I suffered three punctures that I know of. The Stan's sealed all three permanently within five revolutions of the tire. I wouldn't have won as many races last year without running his sealant.
*Stan's aluminum disc rotors take a good 5 to 10 hours to fully seat in. You will also find that pad wear is accelerated during the break-in period. The rotor's brake track uses a hard surface with a texture that needs to be run in smooth. Once broken in, both pad wear and braking power rivals that of a steel rotor. The aluminum rotor gives better lever modulation.
*Stan's wheelset uses the incredibly light American Classic front and American Classic-designed WTB Laser Disc Lite rear hubs. Light hubs mean light seals. Stay on top of wheel maintenance or the bearings will suffer water corrosion. The American Classic design is extremely easy to service, so there's no excuse not to.
*My strongest Cal State finish was at the Castaic opener. I finished second behind Jim Dover on a tough climbing course. Better yet, that race took place the day after the Spring Fling XC opener at Southridge, an event that I won, and one that my Castaic competition didn't do.
*While leading the Bonelli Cal State event, a Shimano CN-7701 (XTR) chain busted on me while climbing the Corkscrew. The repair was quickly made using a Sram PowerLink. In an attempt to make up time descending the fire road section that concludes the lap, I threw it away by going way too hot into a fast sweeper with a marble surface. The crash bloodied me up a bit, but caused more mental sabotage than physical injury. It didn't help my peak.
*The chain was replaced with another CN-7701. In the past this chain has proven to be unbreakable. I'm no longer as certain, as later in the year another CN-7701 busted on a test bike. I think the next chain I'll try will be a Sram PC-991 Cross Step.
*I never stepped it up at Snow Summit. One of my season goals was to win the Amateur Cup Series, but I never came close. It could have been the hasty overtraining I did trying to make up for the Bonelli crash. Or it could have been family, household and work responsibility. The bottom line was that I never got up to speed in the Amateur Cup, earning three 5ths and one 3rd for 4th overall in the series. Those average performances are what kept my year aboard the Titus from being a perfect one.
*After the Bonelli crash I pulled out of the race. By being a baby and quitting, it cost me a podium in the Cal State Series overall standings. Although I wasn't contesting that series, any finish at Bonelli would have given me a 5th in the Cal State overall. It would have been a nice touch to the year.
*For cyclocross I used the 13.4 oz (380g) 1.75 Kenda Kozmik Lite II semi-slick. With those tires the Racer-X hit the scales at 20.7 pounds. The Titus proved to be totally competitive against the cyclocross hardware. I won the series with three 2nds and one 1st. Next year I'll remember to remove the RP3's platform adjustment lever before cyclocross season hits. Shouldering a mountain bike with a shock lever sticking into your collarbone can be a irritating.
*Tread life is easily doubled on a converted tire run at low pressure. Even if the tire was still fresh, I wouldn't go longer than a month without popping a bead and checking the level of sealant. It was always good, but it's better to be safe.
*I use 1-1/2 scoops of sealant to convert 2.0 Karma DTC tires; 1 scoop to do the 1.75 Kenda Kozmik Lite II. The thinner Kozmik is run at 40 psi.
*This is the first full season I spent racing a bike with GripShift. The twisters drive an XTR front and X.O rear derailleur combined with an XTR crank and 11-34 Ti/steel cassette. The system proved to be absolutely headache free and has required no maintenance.
*Same for the Magura Marta SL discs. Stan's aluminum rotor holds zero run-out much better than a steel rotor. I also used Stan's Marta Ti/aluminum bolt kit to save an additional 3/4 ounce (or 21g).
*Once the suspension spring settings were dialed a week into the original test, I have yet to check the fork or shock air pressure since. Why check it if the bike pedals and takes bumps perfectly? Yes, the Fox F100X fork's right leg seal leaked from day one on. As it loses more and more oil the bump threshold becomes more and more active. It was finally sent in for repair so I can start the 2006 Southridge Winter Series with a tight fork.
*I weigh 167 pounds. The Fox F100X is set to 85 psi of spring pressure, max bump threshold and the middle rebound setting.
*The cool thing about the Fox Float RP3 platform and a bike with perfect suspension linkage is that you can run a softer spring setting for maximum bump control. I use the hardest platform setting with a spring pressure of 150 psi. The rebound is set to its middle position.
FINAL THOUGHT
We started testing the 2005 Titus Racer-X in time for me to race the remaining 42 weeks of 2005. Here's the final score: 13 firsts, 8 seconds, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 4 fifths, the series titles mentioned earlier, and one race I pulled out of. This is the perfect cross-country bike and we're not going to give it back! |
