[Ice Bullit]

I was thinking about racing for the first time at the Chelan race, how is the course? Is it super technical with lots of chutes and rock gardens or is it nice and flowy? I know there was word about there being a new trail but does anyone have any information about that?

Also since this is my first time racing do you have any advice like riding stratagies? What kind of gear do you recomend (Full face obviously) but do you think full body armor is nessisary?

Thanks for any help

 

[66]

Chelan is high speed and dusty. There are some rocks and maybe enough in the same area to call it a garden. Last years course had a couple jumps. For me the hardest part of the course is holding the off camber, dusty corners.

This course is super fun. It's not technical. When I first raced the course and had just begun racing, i was hoping for techy courses like the freeriding i had done at the shore and similar. Then I started racing and did the Chelan and was disappointed. But since then I have found different challenges in the game. It pushed my limits last year and it's going to again this year.

Bring what ever gear you are comfortable riding in. Don't sacrifice your health for a better shot at the podium. Wait until you are pro.

 

[MMike]

Body armour is only a good idea if you think that there's a possibility that you might crash.

Like car insurance. If you feel that you're never going to get into an accident, then it's just a waste of money right?

 

[DHRacer]

chelan is fast and dusty... not like Spokane with all the jumps and drops though.

 

[Ice Bullit]

What tire PSI would you run, a higer or lower for the dust?

 

[66]

Originally posted by Ice Bullit
What tire PSI would you run, a higer or lower for the dust?

some, then if you slide, let some out, if it rolls, put some back (I like to start around26 then let some out after the first run)

it depends on how you ride and what tires you run too

 

[Ice Bullit]

True about the tire thing, thanks for the help.

 

[DHRacer]

last couple of years i've run 30. seemed to do okay. There's a couple of big rock garden/areas, so you don't to run it too low, but as deep as some of the powder can get, running a higher psi isn't going to hurt you .

just go by the feel of you bike... you'll know what to do.

 

[oly]

Originally posted by MMike
Body armour is only a good idea if you think that there's a possibility that you might crash.

Like car insurance. If you feel that you're never going to get into an accident, then it's just a waste of money right?

But you never know when that truck driver on a 24hr haul is going to pass out and run your little box of steel and plastic over........

At chelan there really arent trees to crash into, but there are a few places with rocks you gotta watch out for. If you have gear bring it. Check the trail in practice and see if you wanna risk being run over by that sleepy trucker.....

 

[oly]

Originally posted by DHRacer
last couple of years i've run 30. seemed to do okay. There's a couple of big rock garden/areas, so you don't to run it too low, but as deep as some of the powder can get, running a higher psi isn't going to hurt you .

just go by the feel of you bike... you'll know what to do.

Im a stans convert. I can now blaze into rock gardens without fear of pinch flats. Its been a very good investment. Saturday at whistler i didnt get 1 flat. Last year i got at least 1 flat a day.

D

 

[RhinofromWA]

Originally posted by Ice Bullit
Never mind guess I am not racing, 50 bucks for license to race is a little out of my pay range at the moment, oh well.

$10 ($5 a day) to try it out.

It is an experience. If youwant to race I would go and if you don't like it...call it experience and you know what you like to do.

It is fast loose "poof" dirt with softball to grapefruit sized rocks knocking around in there. Some are embeddedin teh earth others will decide to roll out from underneath you mid turn.

It isn't rooty rocky technical but I challenge anyone who says it is easy to go faster because they aren't riding to their full potential. Be ready for dust....for sure. Unless we get a rain story during the race....there will be dust.

Air preasure: Higher. You are hitting things faster than normal and by all the flats I saw last year is a good example people forgot to check their preasure. I have no experience with stans tubeless etc....but for tubes....higher than low speed tech stuff.