Brian Corff

Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29er

Friday, October 8th, 2010

My race bike this year has been a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29er, and it has been sweet!

Overview

Prior to this, I haven’t owned a hardtail since 2002, so I was skeptical going in. On top of that, I have been fairly outspoken against carbon fiber for mountain bikes (just ask a few of my riding buddies). As a final straw, I had spent very little time on 29ers and I was not really sold on the concept. I can’t say that this bike has completely changed my perspective about any of these topics, but I can say that this bike is definitely fast, light, and it rolls extremely well… making it one hell of a good race bike!

Racing in the mountain region tends to involve lots of climbing. Two of the biggest races on my calendar each year are the XTERRA Mountain Championship in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and the XTERRA National Championship in Ogden, Utah. Anyone that has raced in these places knows that both courses share the same general formula… swim in a lake down in a valley, ride your bike straight uphill for 20 miles to the base of the ski area, then run up and down the ski hills. Because both bike courses are basically hill climbs, I figured that minimal weight was the number one priority in a race bike. Some of the other local race courses would definitely be more fun with full suspension, but none of them are impossible on a hardtail. There are lots of rocks around here though, so the bigger wheels of a 29er seemed like a good idea to help keep the flow going.

Front End

So, I finally settled on the Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29er because it was extremely light, not astronomically expensive, and it looks pretty cool. Also, with a few choice parts swaps, I knew I cold make it lighter, possibly even lighter than the far more expensive S-Works model. What you see here is the bike as I raced it at the XTERRA National Championship in Ogden, dirt and all. With these tires, it weighs 20.8 lbs. That includes everything you see in the pictures, including not-so-light-but-durable XTR pedals, 3×10 drivetrain, and 4″ of plush Fox travel. Other parts highlights include:

• Stan’s ZTR Race wheels and Raven rear tire
• Race Face Next SL crankset
• SRAM XX rear derailleur, cassette, and brakes
• Edge Composites straight carbon handlebar
• Specialized S-Works Fast Trak LK front tire and Phenom SL saddle
• Thomson Masterpiece seatpost
• Titec carbon bottle cage
• ESI “Racer’s Edge” silicon grips

Yup, that's a 3x10 drivetrain. I'm not a tractor and 2x10 XX wasn't going to give me enough gears for the ultra-steep climbing in Colorado.

Yup, that's a 3x10 drivetrain. I'm not a tractor and 2x10 XX wasn't going to give me a low enough gear for the ultra-steep climbing in Colorado.

This just might be the perfect XTERRA race bike.

Posted in Athlete Blog, Brian Corff, Equipment, Product Reviews | No Comments »

Ironman as Training for XTERRA?

Friday, August 6th, 2010

There are probably many XTERRA athletes who have also raced Ironman at some point in their life. Anyone who has done both XTERRA and Ironman knows that both types of races are very hard, but in very, very different ways.

Ironman is a primarily mental battle that tests your resolve to get to the finish line. To be successful, you have to largely ignore what other competitors are doing, retreat into your own little box, and focus on what you personally need to do to maximize your performance. XTERRA, on the other hand, is an almost purely physical game of pushing yourself at your red-line for as long as you can. It is much more intense. Rather than ignoring the other competitors, you have to feed off of them. If someone is pulling away from you, you have to dig a little deeper and see if you can hang on. You have to spy them through the woods to make sure you know where everyone is and how they are feeling.

So, I wouldn’t normally mix the two into the same season of racing, because the training for one type of race is all wrong for the other. This year, however, my fiancee (now wife) was determined to complete her first Ironman before we got married. It has long been one of her big life goals. She coyly asked me if I would be willing to do it with her, and I couldn’t say no.

Wetsuits on... just before the race.

After the race... happy to be finished.

I am an XTERRA guy all the way. I don’t relate much with the Ironman crowd with their M-Dot tattoos and endless banter about which aero wheel might shave a few seconds off their bike split. So, one of my primary goals for this year has been to minimize the negative effects of a mid-season Ironman on my XTERRRA campaign. The last Ironman I did took 6-8 weeks to fully recover from, and I knew that wouldn’t work this time. The only thing I could think to do was to use the huge volume of Ironman training as a precursor to more specific XTERRA training. By building an enormous base, I reasoned, I would be able to build speed on top of that later.

How’s it working? So far, so good. I eeked out a 4th place finish at the XTERRA Mountain Championship in Beaver Creek three weeks out from the Ironman with almost no training in between. My body is very confused about the intervals and speed work I have been imposing on it lately, but hopefully it will respond in time for some good late season results.

XTERRA Mountain Championship at Beaver Creek

Posted in Athlete Blog, Brian Corff, Training Stories | No Comments »

Thank you USANA

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

For some of us, the racing season has not yet begun. However, here at MelRad, several of our sponsors have already stepped up to the plate big time. The first company to do so, starting months ago now, was USANA Nutritionals with ongoing monthly shipments of their awesome HealthPak.

A HealthPak contains 4-8 weeks worth of conveniently prepackaged vitamins and antioxidants, so there is no sorting or counting involved. This is perfect for the busy triathlete who is juggling countless hours of training with a full-time job and still trying to maintain some semblance of a real life.

As with most vitamins, I didn’t think I’d notice much difference from just taking a boring multivitamin out of a 1000 count container from the bulk store, but I really have noticed a difference with these USANA supplements. The most obvious change has been shortened recovery time needed after hard workouts. I don’t know the science behind it, but I definitely feel better the next day when I remember to take my USANA supplements.

The other thing I have noticed is that I’ve not been getting sick. My fiancee has been ill twice already this year and I have yet to have any sign of the sniffles or a sore throat (knock on wood). I also travel a lot for work (I’m writing this on a plane), so I worry about airborne germs, but so far so good.

Posted in Brian Corff, Nutrition, Product Reviews | No Comments »

Archive for the ‘Brian Corff’ Category

Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29er

Ironman as Training for XTERRA?

Thank you USANA