Sea To Sky Life

Tuesday, 2 January 2018

Deuter Race X Backpack | Long-Term Review

The Deuter Race X has been my backpack of choice for almost everything since 2013. I (ab)used my first Race X for commuting 50km by bike most days in the pouring rain and snow through the Vancouver winters for four years, as well as taking it on weekend hikes and various trips.

After four years, the upper pocket's zipper got caught somehow and got damaged in the process of trying to unhook it. After this incident, the zipper stopped functioning. I decided to cut out the pocket material and sew in the opening of the zipper. This worked great, but it did limit my use of the backpack, as I had to carry pens and the only pocket suitable for this was that one (putting pens in the inside pocket gets annoying because they are not as accessible). So, I ended up purchasing another Race X from MEC. I currently use both of them, but the main compartment zipper on the older one is starting to show signs of wear after five years, so I no longer stuff that one completely full like I used to. Overall, I carried more weight and volume in this backpack than ever intended, and it still lasted five years of heavy, daily use with almost (except for the top pocket zipper) no loss of performance due to wear and tear.

Sewed in pocket and mesh shoulder strap

Inside pockets

The main reason I like this backpack so much is that it packs unbelievably efficiently due to its shape. As a result, the 12L capacity can fit a lot more than other backpacks I've used, so one can easily downsize from their previous backpack when switching to this model - which I did.

I often carried a lot more stuff in this backpack than a normal person would, and it holds its shape exceptionally well even when stuffed full of heavy cargo. The other limiting factor is the zippers for such endevours, but the zippers on this product held up every time even when I thought it would burst open because it was so full.

The main material of this backpack (ripstop nylon) is extremely durable, yet light and thin. I have fallen with this backpack and slid on rocks, yet the material was left undamaged every time.

I find the weight of this backpack to be excellent too, given the amount of comfort features. The Airstripe system on the back is very effective at distributing the pressure evenly in an ergonomic manner on one's back. An implication of this feature is that it offsets the backpack from the back of the user. This enables the user to carry sharp objects because, even if they stick out in the back, they will not reach the user's back. Additionally, this offset feature allows for better ventilation of the back, which is a nice comfort feature.

Airstripe back supports

The shoulder straps are very comfortable even when loaded with heavy weight due to the flexible mesh material and its width. This material also proved to be very durable despite its flimsy look. The waist and chest belts are good as well, but they are pretty standard style.

The rain cover is another excellent feature, which I made good use of in the Vancouver rain. It is stored in a separate pocket (zipper accessible) at the bottom of the pack. It wraps around the backpack snugly; side reinforcement of the pack provides an edge for it to wrap around, which makes this a exceptionally effective design.

Raincover viewed from the front

Raincover viewed from the back

Another neat feature is the reflective hook on the back: this can be used to hook a rear bike light onto it for added visibility in the dark.

Reflective hook for rear light attachment

Compared to my Deuter Trans Alpine 30, the Race X is much more efficient in every way. In fact, I bought the Trans Alpine to use on days when I have to carry a lot of cargo, thinking that it will eliminate the need to have to use the brute force method of packing my Race X. However, after having owned the Trans Alpine for two years, I find myself barely using it because its so much more cumbersome while biking, that I usually just squeeze everything into my Race X. Regarding the difference in capacity of the Trans Alpine and Race X, the specifications state 12 and 30L. However, I find that the Trans Alpine, due to its singular, huge compartment, does not pack as efficiently as the Race X. If I had to guess, I would say that the difference in volume is less than two-fold - not even close to 2.5 - as the specifications suggest.

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

Surly 1x1 vs. Instigator V.1 Fork Long-Term Review

The Surly 1x1 and Instigator V.1 forks are excellent items for an adventure bike. They are a great way to convert old, 26er mountain bikes into heavy duty gravel grinders. However, they are extremely similar; in fact, the Surly website does not have much information about the difference between them other than the 0.1kg weight difference and a few mm difference in their axle-to-crown length. In July 2014, I was looking for a rigid fork to convert my 2002 Kona Cinder Cone into a gravel/commuter rig. After narrowing my search down to the Instigator and 1x1, I went with the 1x1 over the Instigator due to its lighter weight. I didn't really understand why they would make two, almost identical models of forks though.

The original (2014) Cinder Cone build with the 1x1 fork

Cinder Cone with 1x1 fork

Cinder Cone with 1x1 fork: tube sizes of the frame and fork look proportional

However, in May 2017, my good old Kona Cinder Cone cracked. I was about to sell off its remaining parts for a few pennies, and get a proper gravel bike of some sort. I decide to wait a month or two however, in case an opportunity pops up for a cheap replacement. I also saw that Giant Canada had its warehouse sale in a week, so I decided that might be a good place to start. I ended up scoring a Giant XTC Advanced SL 26er frame for $50 (brand new obviously)! I quickly built it up with my old parts.... After I went for my first few off-road rides, the Surly 1x1 fork felt sketchy in the frame. I had done the same ride on my old frame with no problem, but this top-of-the line frame didn't function the same way for some reason. I got sketched out after a while because I was putting the bike through some rough trail riding, and I could always see the fork flexing tons. I thoroughly inspected the fork for cracks several times, but there were none. I decided that after 3 years of heavy riding, I should just replace it anyway.

Giant XTC with 1x1 fork

Giant XTC with 1x1 fork: fork looks flimsy next to the huge carbon frame tubes

Giant XTC with 1x1 fork during a 200km gravel ride

Giant XTC with 1x1 fork riding Vancouver Island

I started to think that the added stiffness of the XTC frame (compared to the Cinder Cone) might be what made the 1x1 feel sketchy all of a sudden. As a result, I was back to looking at my options, and the Instigator V.1 looked promising with the extra 100g of weight, as it might contribute to added stiffness that would match that of the carbon frame. I emailed Surly to clarify the difference between the two forks, and this is what they said: "The Instigator 1.0 fork uses thicker tubing and is more heavy duty than the 1x1 fork. Instigator 1.0 fork was tested to dirt jumping/tandem standards. You’ll want to make sure the A-to-C is within your manufacturer specs. If your planning on using the fork on a gravel grinder bike, the 1x1 will weigh a little less and be plenty strong for the application. If your planning on taking the bike off some jumps, I recommend the Instigator fork."
What I would add to that is that which fork will work best also depends on what frame you're putting it into: a crazy stiff carbon frame will feel way nicer with a heavier fork, while an old, flimsy alu/steel frame will feel perfectly balanced with the 1x1.

I ended up buying the Instigator V.1 fork, and I absoluely love how the bike feels ever since. The tubing is noticeably larger, and it flexes much less under braking. I still use the fork, and it is holding up excellent (as expected).

Giant XTC with Instigator V.1 fork: frame and fork tubes look proportional

Overall, I would highly recommend both forks. They are a great replacement for old suspension forks that don't do much due to their age and lack of maintenance, and have a severely creaking crown assembly (i.e. every suspension fork made before ~2010). I would choose between them based on application as well as frame/headtube stiffness. For a carbon frame, I would definitely use the Instigator. For a 1 1/8 headtube alu/steel frame, the Instigator would likely be too bulky, and the 1x1 is perfectly good.

Bike & Ski Duathlon on Cypress Mountain

Skiing on Cypress Mountain is excellent except for the hassle of driving there. As a result, I decided to try an alternative method of transportation, attach my ski gear to my bike, and ride over from Lynn Valley. I took neighborhood streets to avoid traffic with this sketchy setup. My general route was riding over to upper Lonsdale, take Montroyal Blvd., cut across the trails at Cleveland Dam, then take the flattest roads through British Properties, and up Cypress.

View of the cockpit

The full apparatus

Shoelace keeping things under control around the seatpost

One-wrap velcro holding the poles down tightly, with slight pre-tension

The setup was very simple: rag around the seatpost and headtube for cushion and just put the skis around these two areas with their regular strips holding them together. Also, I positioned it so that they rest on the seatpost clamp in the back. Then, I put the poles over top of the skis and tied a shoelace around it and the seatpost. The poles were also secured by a velco strap at the front that slightly bent them to give it more pre-load/friction to stay in place over bumpy roads. My boots and bike lock were in my backpack along with my tights that I would put on for skiing to stay warm. A problem I ran into was the bindings interfering with my knees while pedalling out of the saddle. I partially fixed this on the way back by sliding the skis further forward.

Transition zone

Overall, the 25km ride took me 1:40 on the way up because of all the extra weight on the climb and not being able to pedal out of the saddle. I was also trying to save as much energy as possible for the actual skiing. At the top, I locked my bike to the ski rack, put on the extra tights, ate a Clif Bar and proceeded to ski. After 18km of skiing I decided it was a good time to pack it. The way back home took only an hour with all the downhill.

Ski trail

Overall, I am not sure if this outing was that good of an idea, as I didn't really get in an amazing ski or bike ride, yet I did both for a significant amount of time. I am still not sure how to solve this exactly, but as it stands, the bike ride will never be that great due to the constraint of the skis with pedalling standing up. Additionally, the extra weight doesn't help on the climb (partially because I carried an 8lbs lock for the bike), and using a road bike is risky in winter conditions.... I am planning to repeat this outing and see if I feel better about this way of skiing.

Galiano Island Day Trip

Galiano Island is an excellent day trip location with the hour long ferry ride from Tsawwassen. The ferry is quite affordable at $19.80 on the way there and $10.20 on the way back. An extra $2 is charged for bikes for each sailing. Bikes are highly recommended for this outing, as the whole island is 25km in length, so bringing a car to drive no more than 50km for an extra ~$100 is quite the luxury. The terrain is never flat, but there are also no big climbs along the way; however, there is plenty of rolling hills that can be quite steep for a few hundred meters at a time. On this trip, we went to Retreat Cove to check out the sandstone formations along the beach. The following pictures show the details of this trip.

On The Ferry

Glass Art Gallery

On the way to Retreat Cove, we came across this glass gallery of a local artist. The place was open with nobody around. We went in and looked at a fairly large selection of interesting (and expensive) artwork, then left in shock that nothing gets stolen.

Retreat Cove

Road Back To The Ferry

One of The Many Small Farms on The Island

Road Back To The Ferry

Weird, Abandoned Veggy Stand

A Local "Film School"

There are lots of weird things that one would not expect so close to Vancouver, like this film school that is accessible on a dirt road with no buildings in sight. Others include abandoned produce stands, open galleries (glass and pottery) and every car with a sticker promoting the local economy.

Road Back To The Ferry

Veggy Stand That Might Still Be In Use

Road Back To The Ferry

Shooting Range

Local Grocery Store

Local Coffee Shop

Road Back To The Ferry

A trail goes along the side of the road for a few km's of our route. It is a well maintained trail that I rode since I was on a mountain bike (too rough for road bikes).

Around Sturdies Bay

Sturdies Bay Gas Station

After made our way back to the ferry terminal, we ran out of water, so a search for water begun. The washroom at the ferry terminal waiting room has water that has no chance of approval for human consumption, and no other public facilities seem to exist with a water source. As a result, we came into this gas station for bottle of water. It cost $4.45 for a liter of water!!! The constant sight of bumper stickers promoting the local economy makes me feel like there a major flaw hidden in this system after that water purchase.

Post office

Ferry terminal

Fancy resort in Sturdies Bay

Ferry

Overall, this is an excellent day trip that I would highly recommend, especially during the spring or fall. Other seemingly interesting spots on the island that we didn't visit are Bodega Ridge Provincial Park and Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park. We took our time throughout the day, and I believe that all of those places can easily be explored in a single day.