Episode Summary

Today on the podcast, Jared, Liam and Tydeman dive into some recent racing experiences at the Great Descent and Lost & Found, before discussing Jared's new bike build and getting into another installment of "how it aged" featuring tire inserts. Then we get into a classic set of listener questions, ranging from bike quiver optimization to choosing a bike for MTB trips and everything in between. Tune in! 

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Episode 183 details Tydeman's bloody victory at the Great Descent and the mutual, vomit-inducing suffering he and Liam shared at the Lost and Found 100. Jared outlines his strategy for transforming his Revel Ranger V2 into a Downcountry weapon, while the team explains why Tire Inserts have aged like yogurt—becoming a specialized performance addition for lightweight XC racing rather than a mandatory configuration for heavy-duty trail bikes.

Intro & The Morning Ride Secret

Jared, Liam, and Tydeman open Episode 183 by analyzing "Zach’s Words of Wisdom" (Zwow): "The days that you least want to get up and head out to the trail are usually the exact days you need to ride the most." Liam notes that while evening golden hour rides are visually stunning, waking up early to ride establishes a powerful, calm baseline for the rest of the day. They contrast this with the accountability of signing up for 8:00 a.m. training classes to automate fitness goals without overthinking.

The "Great Descent" Duel

The crew recaps the Great Descent, a grueling 55-mile point-to-point race outside of Los Angeles featuring 10,000 feet of descending and a diabolical 5,000 feet of climbing back-loaded into the final 15 miles.

  • Liam's Catastrophe: Only two minutes into following Tydeman down the initial rock gap, Liam caught a sharp edge, perfectly tacoing his prototype front rim and instantly ending his race run.

  • Tydeman's Sufferfest: Tydeman engaged in a non-stop, tactical battle with Brandon Baker. Near the bottom, crossing the finish line "crosseyed," Tydeman face-planted, splitting his elbow open and completely shattering his shifter pod. He rode the final four miles locked into his hardest 36T-10T gear combination while cramping, ultimately pulling off the overall victory by roughly 30 seconds.

The "Lost and Found" Slog

The team then traveled to the Lost Sierra for the Lost and Found 100-mile gravel race, facing an elite pro field including several Lifetime Grand Prix athletes.

  • Liam's Lockup: Shifting directly from the couch to a massive high-altitude effort, Liam's legs completely locked up 25 minutes into the opening climb, forcing a grueling 6-hour solo survival pace.

  • Tydeman's Gut Distress: Tydeman settled into the lead group over the first major climb. Upon swallowing his first energy gel, his stomach instantly revolted, causing him to throw up his entire breakfast and hydration reservoir directly onto his brand-new shoes and bike computer. He completed the remaining 6 hours entirely solo, demonstrating massive mental persistence simply to finish.

🔑 Key Technical Points & Flight Architecture

  • The Geographic Hook: Daniel’s Fun Fact highlights that due to the sharp inward curvature of the California coastline, Reno, Nevada is actually further west than Los Angeles, California.

  • Quiver Optimization: Jared officially debuted his personal Revel Ranger V2 build, executing an extreme frame-swap strategy to reduce his mountain bike quiver down from three to two frames. By combining his pure XC race components with a rugged trail chassis, the Ranger effectively replaced his dedicated XC weapon and short-travel trail bike.

  • Jared's Custom Ranger Build Sheet:

    • Drivetrain: Shimano XTR Di2 electronic system.

    • Wheels: Ultra-light Shimano XTR Carbon wheelset.

    • Suspension: Fox 34 with a 130mm Grip X damper up front, paired with a standard Float rear shock.

    • Cockpit & Ergonomics: Full Trail One carbon layout, a 3D-printed carbon-railed saddle, and innovative Wolf Tooth bar ends to optimize lateral hand placement and reduce structural wrist fatigue.

🛠️ Segment: How It Aged

The crew breaks down the timeline of Tire Inserts (KushCore, Tannus Armor, Vittoria Airliner Light) to analyze if they are "Fine Wine" or "Spoiled Milk."

  • The Verdict: Aged Like Yogurt 🥛 (Highly conditional based on specific use cases).

  • The Analysis: The era of mandatorily running dense foam inserts on every trail bike has ended. Modern gravity-oriented tire casings (like WTB's updated 1,400g structures) have become so robust that running a 150g insert on top of a downhill casing creates a dead, overly numb ride quality while adding massive rotational weight.

  • The XC/Enduro Exception: Lightweight inserts (like the 60g Tubolight or Vittoria Airliner Light) are still highly relevant for short-travel applications (e.g., the Downieville Classic). They act as a progressive bottom-out bumper, allowing racers to run lower tire pressures ($\sim22\text{ PSI}$) to maximize small-bump compliance without folding the tire off the rim or cracking lightweight carbon rims on square-edge rock strikes.

⚙️ Technical Deep Dive: The $1,000 Hand-Delivery Option

A listener highlighted a unique shipping selection on the Worldwide Cyclery online checkout: a $1,000 option to have Jeff hand-deliver your parts.

1.The Hand-Off:Immediate Notification.

When a customer checks this option, the internal logistics team intercepts the order and flags Jeff for flight deployment.

2.The Mariachi Escalation:Upstate New York Delivery.

Famously, a customer (JT from Skratch Labs) triggered this tier for a complete bike build package. Jeff flew to New York, hired a local Mariachi band, and advanced to the customer's front door with full musical accompaniment to deliver the components.

3.The Premium Destination:The Maryland Pitstop.

In a subsequent hand-delivery, Jeff dropped off a custom build directly to a customer's private garage workshop adjacent to Travis Pastrana's training grounds.

🙋‍♂️ Listener Q&A

1. Consolidating the Fleet

Question: Should I replace my Revel Rail 29 (160mm travel) with a modern Rascal, or upgrade my V2 Ranger to a V3 to cover trail gaps?

  • The Verdict: Keep the Rail 29 and buy the V3 Ranger. The Rail 29 pedals exceptionally well with a 160mm Lyric up front; simply swap your heavy coil shock for an agile air can to lighten up its mid-stroke response. Pair that with the ultra-stiff V3 Ranger to cover your down-country and endurance trail goals, giving you a perfect big-bike/small-bike layout.

2. Sizing vs. Sufferfests in the Dolomites

Question: Will I feel under-gunned riding a Revel Rascal (140mm Lyric/130mm rear) with Double Down tires on the upcoming Mountain Rides Dolomites trip compared to an Ibis Ripmo AF?

  • The Verdict: Take the Rascal. You will always descend faster and smoother on a bike you natively click with. The Dolomites trails emphasize long-range alpine pedaling and steep switchbacks, not high-speed, bike-park chunder.

  • The Setup Mod: Swap your lightweight air shaft out to push your Lyric fork up to 150mm, install full Double Down casing tires, and run high-performance brakes. We are almost always limited by our personal skill, not our travel volume.