Last weekend was the CX season opener at Kings CX in Mason OH. The course was tacky, with a muddy off-camber and a water feature. Otherwise it was a pretty fast course and my first chance to test out my new Foundry Auger.
I lined up at the start of the Elite Men race on a Canti-levered Ridley X-Ride; a race savey bike with carbon tubulars. I was running Challenge Limus on it, which have served me well in the past.
I used the Foundry Auger, with disc brakes and Michelin Mud 2 clinchers as my "B" bike. The only reason I didn't start on it is because I don't have race wheels for it yet and it was only the second time I had ridden it. It outweighs the Ridley, mostly because of the wheels. The wheels are Fulcrum Reds, which are actually 29er MTB wheels with CX tires. They're also wider than most rims giving the tire a nice spread and contact with the ground.
I won't go into the details of the race, except to say that my team mate; Steven Gordon was on fire that day and totally dominated the field, while we had it one - two for a few laps, I blew up and fell way off the pace.
Comparing bikes:
- Ridley X-Ride with Carbon tubbies: much lighter, developed a shifting problem throughout the race, but should have been the faster bike. It has a very squat head-tube and an almost negative slope on the top tube. It rides high, as the Euros apparently like it, which gives it an advantage when trying to pedal through technical sections.
- Foundry Auger, carbon fiber with heavy training wheels and tubed, clincher, Michelin Mud 2 tires. This was by far the faster bike. I instantly gained confidence and was able to get into a rhythm. Sections that I was gingerly creeping through on the Ridely, I found myself pedaling through and attacking on the Foundry Auger. It's geometry is very similar to the Ridley, it rides high and has close to identical steer and seat tube angle, but the main difference is the taller head tube.
The guys and girls at Foundry put a lot of time into designing their bikes and it shows. It has many nice features including internal cabling, and full-length cable housing for the rear derailleur. It also does not have that cumbersome, mud-catching wheel for the front derailleur on the seat tube.There was a distinct difference in power transfer as I churned over the steep hills, which may be a product of the bigger down tube and large PF30 bottom bracker. It has an overall stable, predictability about the way the bike handled. I can't wait to try it out on our well worn Veterans Park trail loop. I'll see if I can set a new KOM / PR on it.
Another nice design is the way the chain stay slopes down first before making a straight line for bottom bracket. I've seen this on Scott TT bikes for Aero purposes, but for CX it moves the chain stay away from the bouncing chain, making it less likely to chip away at paint.
It uses a 135mm rear spacing, allowing for more wheel options with discs, and has a very clean, spacey look where the frame wraps around the wheels. I see this as one of those bikes I will likely enjoy more the more I ride and race it.
The discs were more of an advantage than I expected. I've ridden disc on MTBs before, but the difference between wet cantilevered brakes on carbon rims and discs is phenomenal. The most poignant example was on a section of the course where we rode through a water feature and then down a hill and into a tight 180 degree turn. With the Ridley I was forced to ride my brakes all the way down the hill to keep from over shooting it, on the Auger I charged down it, braking late and hard with plenty of control to exit the tight turn on the gas and in total control - loved it!
Tom at www.bikesonmain.com built this Auger up using Avid on the back and Hayes on the front. Both are 160mm and mechanical. The Avid is more adjustable with a tool-less wheel to adjust brake spacing. I spent some time adjusting them to find the fine line between disc rub and too much of a spongy feel from the brake lever. The back is spongier than the front, but modulation is very good, and stopping power far exceeds the cantilevered alternative. Once set up properly, the discs were less spongy than the brakes on the Ridley (these are TRP Euro X and are pretty good by the cantilever standard).
The other thing I love is the fact that wheel swaps will now be much easier between brakes; my trainning wheels and race wheels do not line up the same on the Ridley, and if I don't adjust for this, one set up would rub the edge of the tire and pull away at the glue seem. Another thing I won't have to worry about will be training wheel brake pads and race day brake pads. All little things, but it's amazing to me how eliminating a few of these little tedious task to prep for races makes life a whole lot easier.
Foundry has done a great job with the Auger; the bike is purpose built and very nicely finished. Other CX bikes I've gotten to know well include a Raleigh, Fuji CX 1.0, carbon Fuji Altamira 2.0, Ridley X-Ride, and a Ridley X-Fire. I can tell right away that this Auger is going to be my favorite so far.
Pics and trail ride reviews to come... and hopefully some better CX race performances too.
Check out Foundry's Auger here:
http://foundrycycles.com/bikes/auger
You can order one from here:
www.bikesonmain.com
