Originally Posted by
queerpunk
I don't know what it's like to wipe out there and I hope I don't find out! That said, come find me in the spring and I'll show you a gnarly picture on my phone of Casper's ass with a big-ass splinter through it. Generally, yeah - lots of small splinters. Actually, the surface doesn't take too much abuse - it's afzalia, a super hard wood, very weather-resistant. It's the skeleton that takes the abuse.
Good gear range for newbs. I'd say start with an 88" gear - 49-15. As you advance, you're going to want more options, but I think that's a good all-around gear for Cat 4/5 - and beyond. I used only a 90" gear (50-15) until I got up to Cat 2, and then I needed more options. Now, I'm on 92" for most enduro races, 90" for some long madisons, and 93" and up for short warm-up races and sprint-oriented races.
Damn, that sounds intense, i'm simultaneously excited and not excited to see that picture, haha. And yeah, i'd suppose that at the speeds one would most likely crash at that splinters would be near unavoidable. Oh, that's interesting, i'd assume it'd be the other way around! I assume then that some patchwork is done every year in the spring to repair the winter damages to the structuring before it opens for the season? And thanks for the gear advice! My current street gear is 46/15 (which i'd probably use to warm up) so I suppose I just need a 49 or 50 tooth chainring and a separate chain to accommodate the larger ring and i'd be good to go for a little while.