The Squiggle Bug: Guerrilla Gravity Smash is getting dialed. The bike started off 34 lbs, 5 oz. First thing’s first, thicker coil for my tubbies went from 350 to 600 (bike got over 35lbs) down to 500 (sweet spot), replace SRAM Code R brakes with Shimano Saint, and toss the skinny GG saddle with a fancy Serfas Ghost Carbon saddle that I realized isn’t worth the risk of breaking a delicate rail on an All Mountain Bike. Current Saddle is a Bontrager Affinity Elite 270x148mm (34 lbs, 12oz). Next was experimenting with a Super Alloy Racing coil (
https://superalloyracing.com/), which dropped a noticeable 7 oz from the bike, and replacing the aluminum RF Turbine R bars with RF Next R carbon...I maintained the 780mm width but lowered the handlebar rise from 20 to 10mm. I learned on Cannel the stack was too low with the lower bars because my arms/hands were getting tired, so I had to pull over and raise the stack one spacer. Cockpit is dialed now with the brake levers 175mm in from edge and 61 degrees from horizontal.
The bike is a freight train both up and down, meaning climbing sucks if the legs don’t have power, but WOAH BOY when she points down hill! The bike rails with no noticeable flex in the frame. Crouching low and over the cockpit in conjunction with the 66 degree head angle, leaning into every turn head and shoulders first, outside foot slammed down, and elbows flared puts the tires to the test, and the Minion DHF 2.5 WT/Minion DHR II 2.4 WT on 30mm ID rims are the real deal. I expect I can get away with a less aggressive rear tire (e.g., Bontrager SE4 or even XR4), but that’ll have to wait for the DHR to concede. There’s no giving up the DHF up front. The RockShox Lyrik 150mm fork is nice, but at 93 psi, I seem to leave the last 10mm of travel on the table. Any less air pressure, and I get brake dive. I may remove a token and keep charging.
Riding the Squiggle Bug intensifies my workout per mile, and I feel great after each ride (the kind of feeling you get after 50 miles and 7,700’ of gain). Every ride on the Bug is prep for Da Sauce, which will see the Rumblefish in action to chase the Chicken Nuggets.
Current weight is 33lbs 15oz. There’s no sense in attacking the uphill berms with this set-up. Punchy climbs can be had in moderation, but I need opportunity to sit and spin for recovery, which some trails simply do not allow.
My last two rides (Cannell and Marshall Cyn) I notice the thru axle bolt on the rear wheel comes loose and the rear caliper shifts so that one of the pads rubs on the rotor. I’ll try adding loctite to the threads and torquing the axle bolt closer to the 16nM maximum recommendation and keep charging.
