Los Gatos Creek Trail
MVP:
microshift Advent X—The system just works wonderfully—the shifts are fast and confident, the removal of the front derailleur had made gears simpler, and the bike feels lighter. I am so glad I switched to this 1x10 system instead of holding on to my old 3x8 system.
Trail Review:
The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a mostly paved trail that I rode from the Los Gatos Creek County Park to Lexington Reservoir.
The worst part of the trail is that it’s very busy with lots of pedestrians and fellow cyclists.
The best part of the trail is that although it cuts through neighborhoods and highways, the vast amounts of trees makes it an urban nature trail.
There is a good amount of shade on the trail, and I had cell reception the whole time.
What I Learned:
The drivetrain change from an old Shimano 3x8 system to a 1x10 worked out really well. I didn’t miss the 14 extra gears, and I appreciated the new bailout gear.
I saw Lexington Rock off at a distance and once I’m a better climber, it’s definitely a spot I’ll come back to. To get to the rock, one needs to cross the Los Gatos Creek and it’s a bit of a hike. On the up-side, there was no one climbing, and the surrounding area is very pretty.
Fears Faced:
Would I like the changes I made to the bike?—The answer was a resounding yes. I have no regrets about any of the changes I made to the bike. Each change was worth every penny.
Media Consumed:
Klara and the Sun—finished!
What Happened?
20 miles, 2 hr 14 min, 1053 ft of ascent
After I finished installing the new drivetrain (microshift Advent X + Shimano Zee 36t), I wanted to test it out with an easy ride to Vasona Lake. I figured that since the whole ride would be flat, it’d be an easy way to test out the bike, and if anything happened, I could limp back home without too much fuss.
I thought the ride to the Los Gatos Creek County Park was an okay one. I was still getting used to the new drivetrain and things didn’t feel natural yet. I liked the crisp shifts, but having both the shift up/down controls be done with my thumb didn’t feel great versus my old Shimano shifter that allowed up-shifts with my index finger.
By the time I actually got on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, things started to feel a lot better. I wasn’t riding on roads, and I started appreciating the new drivetrain. The pedals felt so much better than the old one. The rear derailleur shifted precisely and effortlessly. It was awesome not thinking about the front derailleur (especially going uphill).
Things felt so good that when I got to Vasona Lake, I decided to keep going to Lexington Reservoir. The trail turned to gravel, but the bike still felt great. I had just pumped up the tire to 4.5 BAR, so the bike slipped a bit going on steep uphills, but the new bailout gear helped me a lot on the steepest ascents. When I got to Lexington, I wondered to myself if I should keep going to Santa Cruz, but decided not to. I wasn’t too tired, but it was just a tad later than what I’d be comfortable with, so I headed back down.
When I got home, I was smiling ear-to-ear thinking about how it’d feel to bike the four mountain that I want to summit with the bike this year. It’ll still be difficult, but at least now, I feel like I won’t injure myself doing it.