Hayes Stroker Trail Disc Brakes

You can put over 250 miles on your bike completing in a single adventure race. You need to count on your bike setup to last through the tough conditions and abuse of long races, and you also need your bike to get you through your trainings by holding up week after week with minimal maintenance.

This is why I switched to disc brakes three years ago even though they are a bit heavier than rim-style v-brakes. I wore through a set of brand new v-brake pads partway through the Ecomotion 2005. That race was incredibly muddy and tough on bikes, and v-brakes just didn't cut it in those conditions.

I have found that disc brakes have more stopping power, particularly when you get to the bottom of a large hill. I was very glad to have disc brakes in the 2008 Baja Travesia, where I lost two spokes, and my wheel came way out of true. Again, I would have been dead in the water with v-brakes, but I was able to finish the race with no issues. My experience has led me to beleive that disc brakes are the only way to go for adventure racers.

I am happy to report that disc brakes have continued to evolve since I started using them. This year Hayes supplied DART-nuun with their brand new Stroker Trails. Here are the features of the Strokers that I believe have improve my riding:

1. Power - the large brake pad surface area provides ample stopping to prevents crashes. They allow me to use one finger on each brakes lever and four fingers on each grip during technical downhills.
2. Modulation - the brakes have an intuitive feel. The modulation allows me to descend better, but it also helps me to climb loose steep terrain and to get over obstacles. It does this by allowing me to apply the slightest amount of back brake, which keeps the front wheel on the ground.
3. Consistent performance - there is no fade at the bottom of long hills. The brakes work well in wet muddy conditions found around the Pacific Northwest.

Hayes Stroker Trial disc brakes are the most powerful and responsive brakes I have owned. They are a strong offering for adventure racers. Two additional features are worth mentioning.
First the brake lever distance can be adjusted on the fly with no tools. Second the brake pads are extremly simple to install with no tools.

Hayes Stroker Trail disc brakes: $175.

Replacing Luck

Successfully completing a multiday adventure race isn't about luck. It is skill, conditioning and having the proper tools. Navigating through the night can be a daunting task. Especially when cold, tired, and hungry. On Team DART-nuun, we rely on Suunto to improve our conditioning and get us through the toughest navigational challenges that any race director can throw at us.

Every teammate is equipped with a Suunto t6. This is a fantastic tool that helps us improve our performance. Since we are constantly training in many different disciplines, our training needs to be focused with no "junk miles". Suunto helps us achieve quality workouts because of the features including heart rate monitor, altimeter, speed/distance information, watch, timer and lap functions. And for you women out there, Suunto has a new t-Series for women with softer wrist straps and other feminine features.

While GPS technology is not allowed in adventure racing, we will often use the X9i while training or exploring. The X9i is the worlds smallest and lightest wrist mounted GPS unit and provides incredible real-time location and post workout review of any route in the backcountry.

Where Suunto really shines, is in the dead of night when we are working toward that control in the deapest wilderness. The t6 together with my MC-2 compass provides me with all the real-time information I need to lead my team to the control. Elevation, distance traveled, direction, and elapsed time, help me to precisely keep my team focused on the fastest route. The MC-2 is the best field compass on the market. With large mirror, adjustable declination, and large baseplate, this compass goes with me whenever I head into the mountains.

Given the performance of the t6, I can not wait for an upgrade to the new t6c. This wrist computer is part of the new Suunto Training Series. This new computer has customizable screen layout, Comprehensive physiological analysis on PC, and many other new features.