Snowy Springton Manor Farm

Today I rode 7.4 miles at Springton Manor Farm. It snowed yesterday about 1 or 2 inches so I waited until the afternoon to ride. Although short in miles, it was a good workout in the snow. The Fantom 29 performed flawlessly.

I first went on the trail through Burgess Park off RT 282.

Then I made my way to Springton Manor Farm. I actually saw 3 hikers on the trails and two huge deer.

Riding through the snow made for a good workout.

Good thing there is no hunting on Sundays.

I am wondering if I can ride through here. Maybe if there were a 4th sign I could be sure.

On the way back home I ran into Santa who was driving around the township wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure

Each year since 2000, I have participated in a mission trip to build houses. I started with Habitat for Humanity but I have been involved in building houses with The Fuller Center for Housing the past two years. In 2008 I went to El Salvador and in 2009 to Lanett, Alabama. Milliard Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller center for Housing.

The Fuller Center has conducted a fundraising bike event the last two years and it is always something I wanted to do. I just saw some information about the 2010 Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure.

So how does the Fantom 29 fit into a 2500 mile bike adventure? Well, I was thinking about participating for a few days because I would never be able to take off from work for the full 50 day bike ride. If you look at segment 2 on the itinerary, the ride will be using the C&O Canal Bike Trail. This may be a perfect opportunity to put some long distance miles on the Fantom 29.

Stay tuned!

Marsh Creek Ride

Today I rode 9.4 miles at Marsh Creek State Park. My miles are way down this year on the Fantom 29 as it seems it has been raining a lot around here. I usually ride the Fantom 29 on Sunday mornings and there has been a lot of rain then.

Today, however, was a beautiful day. The temperature was in the low 40s and hit 66 this afternoon. Nice and sunny too.




There were only a few wet spots like this on the trails. This is on the old railroad tracks.












Most of the trails were dry like this.













The Fantom 29 taking a rest by Brandywine Creek.

Some nice bright red berries. Hard to see with my cheap camera.

Some good hills on the Green trail.

I also saw another mountain biker on this trail. He was cutting a fallen tree. It was about 8 inches in diameter so it was quite a cut with a hand saw.

I also saw a trail runner and his dog.

The hedgerow applies are back!

Motobecane Fantom 29 vs. Motobecane Fantom 29 Pro SL

I was asked to see how the Fantom 29 would compare to the Fantom Pro SL. So here it is....

Of course the Pro SL is nicer with higher end components but is it a better value?

The major differences between the two bikes are the fork, brakes, crankset and shifters.

The 29 has Avid BB-5 Brakes vs the Pro with Avid Juicy 7 Hydraulic Brakes. The Juicy Brakes are about $180 more.

The 29 has RockShox Dart 3 Fork at $125 vs RockShox 29er Reba SL WITH Mission Control damping and PopLoc Adjust, 100mm travel, Adjustable Rebound at $500 for the Pro SL.

The Fantom 29 has TruVativ 5D 22/32/44T Crankset at $70 vs TruVativ FireX 22/32/44T at $140 for the Pro SL.

The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore Mega-9 shifters vs the Shimano XT on the Pro SL for about $100 more.

I also received some comments from i2ambler with additional value:

The rear derailleur on the Fantom Pro SL is an XTR not an XT. This is a difference of about $100. The Fantom 29 uses FX28 rims, where the Fantom29 Pro SL uses Trail29 LaserDisc. The FX28 rims are $30 each (60 for the pair) where the Laserdiscs are $50 each - $100 for the pair.

The 29 has a SpeedV seat at $30 where the Pro SL has the Rocket v at $50. The Tires are Kenda Smallblock 8 instead of Motoraptor tires a difference of about $60.

Conclusion:The Pro has $945 more in parts. It costs $995.95 on bikesdirect. Its Relative Value Factor is 1.55 and therefore is the best value of the bikes I evaluated so far. I did not want to spend a lot of money. So I am still satisfied with my Fantom 29 purchase.

As an on going recap here is a list of the bikes I reviewed. They are ranked by a Relative Value Factor (RVF) . The RVF is the price of the Fantom 29 + or - the value of the major parts difference (Delta) divided by the price of the bike.

Bike Price Delta RVF
Motobecane Fantom Pro SL: 996, 945, 1.55
Motobecane Fantom Pro: 796, 455, 1.32
Motobecane Fantom 29: 596, 0, 1.0
Windsor Cliff 29 Comp: 549, -73, 0.951
IBEX Section 29: 1034, 378, 0.942
Raleigh XXIX+G: 1100, 368, 0.876
Diamondback Overdrive : 600, -122, 0.790
Marin Alpine Trail 29er 667, -122, 0.711
Specialized Rockhopper Disc 29er: 760 ,-144 ,0.595
Cannondale 29er 4 Caffeine: 1059, -125, 0.445

18 Month Review- 534.2 Miles

Well I have been riding the Fantom 29 for 1 1/2 years now. Since the 15 month review I only had a flat front tire due to thorns on the Thun Trail. The bike continues to perform well.

I have noticed that I have not been riding the Fantom 29 as much as last year. It has been due to the rain we have been getting here. I usually mountain bike ride on Sunday mornings and road bike ride most other days. It seems there has been a lot of rain on Sunday mornings or late Saturday night to make the trails too muddy.

Below is a summary of the 1 1/2 years. It looks like I should also do the 50 ride maintenance. I should have time in September.

Repairs
March 15, 2008 Loose Bottle cage holder
March 22, 2008 31.8 miles Flat Tire
March 23, 2008 Chainstay nicks
August 02, 2008 Bent Derailleur Hanger
August 11, 2008 203.6 miles Flat Tire
October 05 2008 285 miles Flat Rear Tire
June 27, 2009 494.5 miles Flat Front Tire

Maintenance
Normal chain lube after every 2 to 3 rides
Adjusted brakes to compensate for wear a couple of times
25 ride PM on September 06, 2008

Riding Statistics
Number of Rides: 52
Mileage : 544.2
Average mileage: 10.5 miles per ride
Longest Ride: 35.2 miles Blue Marsh Lake

494.5 Miles Flat Front Tire!

Today I took a ride on the Thun Trail from Birdsboro to Pottstown, then back to Birdsboro. The ride was 17 miles. This is the same ride I took on May 24, 2008 and on June 13, 2008 .
I got a flat tire about 4.3 miles into the ride.











I had just passed over the Schuylkill River when I noticed that my front tire was going flat.

I carry everything I need to change a flat. I have a spare tube, tire levers, CO2 inflator and a multi tool. However, In my over 3500 road and trail miles, I have yet to change a flat in the field. I was a little nervous using the CO2 inflator since I had not done that before and I only had one 16g cartridge.

Oh, one thing I was missing-- mosquito repellent. They were terrible!

I flipped the bike over and removed the front wheel.

Using the tire levers, I removed one side of the tire. Then removed the tube.

I checked for the cause of the flat and found 2 sharp thorns. Later at home I confirmed that it was a thorn puncture flat by the location of the hole.

I replaced the tube with a Slime SmartTube.

My inflator has a CO2 cartridge stored in it. I turned the cartridge to the proper orientation, then screwed on the valve top.

I then unscrewed the presta valve on the tire to allow the CO2 to enter. Then I slide the inflator on the presta valve. Then I lifted the handle and pulled the trigger.

The tire inflated properly. Later when I got home I checked the pressure and it was about 20 psi. I topped the tire off to 35 psi.

I then put the wheel back on and was on my way.

I was surprised at how many people passed by while I was fixing the flat and didn't even ask if I needed help.

On my way back from Pottstown I did reach 500 miles!

Right in front of this pretty building.

Back at Birdsboro.

I stopped for a cup of coffee at Turkey Hill.

15 Month Review- 472.7 Miles

I had the morning off so I took a ride to Marsh Creek State Park. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 70s. I rode 11.7 miles.
This is also my 15 month review. I don't have much to report because the Fantom 29 has performed flawlessly. I have had absolutely no problems since my last review.

Enjoy the pics of Marsh Creek.