How a Pro Mountain Biker Sets His Bikes up for Training and Racing, New Bike Day

I just got a shipment of new bikes from Niner. In this video I build them up and talk about what modifications I make to them for racing and training. I'll be covering, where I try to save weight and where I don't, my gearing choice, what tires I run, and what power meter I use and recommend. The three bikes I'll be unboxing are the Niner JET9 RDO, RLT9 RDO, and RKT9 RDO. Thanks for watching and be sure give this video a like and subscribe for more!
Niner Jet9 RDO review: • Niner JET 9 RDO Review...
If you are looking for a coach shoot me an email at [e-mail].
The aero bars I use: amzn.to/2u0ktdq
The road power meter I use, Quarq DZero: amzn.to/2XpbaS2
The MTB power meter I use, Quarq XX1 Eagle DZero: amzn.to/2Xpd5FS
The heart rate monitor I use, Wahoo Tickr: amzn.to/2VhzoLZ
The Time Crunched Cyclist: amzn.to/2zgUx08
VeloNews: Geoff Kabush on aero bars: www.velonews.com/2018/05/grav...
VeloNews: Mat Stephens on aero bars: www.velonews.com/2018/05/grav...
Follow me on Instagram, twitter, and Facebook for more coaching content:
Instagram coaching page: @dylanctscoach
Instagram athlete page: @dylanjawnson
Twitter: @djdylansjohnson
Facebook: Dylan Johnson Cycling Coach
Strava: / strava
My Niner JET9 RDO: ninerbikes.com/products/jet-9...
My Niner RLT9 RDO: ninerbikes.com/Niner-Builds?mo...
My Niner RKT9 RDO: ninerbikes.com/products/rkt-9...
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Carmichael Training Systems, Inc, their sponsors, and/or partners.

[@RGCastro7]

Very useful insights! Thank you for sharing this, Dylan.

[@portwill]

You BLINKED!! Btw, this video came just in time, I'm about to buy a Trek FX for training and commuting and I will need to set it up to best suit me. One of my biggest issues is finding the right saddle. I feel better when its narrower and points a bit down.

[@florentcattaneo8338]

Thanks Dylan I use a pretty heavy Niner amd for training and a super efficient Trek ProCaliber 9.8 / Asterion wheels for racing. Massive difference between the 2, giving me the impression of flying when i jump on the Trek on race day 😉

[@danwilliams783]

Hey Dylan, I don't race anymore, but I setup my Scott Genius with Shimamo XT 12 speed 1X, DT Spline wheel/ Ralph/Ron tire combos, carbon bars. I now train on my road bike with a Stages dual power meter - greatly helps gather valuable data! I prefer KOM hunting and [attempting to] steal them from twenty-somethings on local trails lol. Oh ya, and watch your training advice videos has really improved my fitness. Many thanks!

[@cruzanbum3108]

Always good intel from Mr. Jawnson…

[@Brandon_w94]

Hey man. I have been using your knowledge to build my month to month program more revolved around Enduro MTB: it's been interesting, this has been relatively smooth and slow development where riding and having these urges of power defies the days prescribed workout in Endurance zone 1/2 Learning to control your ego and remain focused on the long term rewards was a benefit to the programs slow but steady fitness builds. I felt when the HITT SESSIONS came into play (4 X 10 min,12x 30 sec,ect ) I felt like I recovered well throughout the sessions, that was motivating to learn.

[@vcu3rams]

Great video. Alloy wheels and heavier grip tires in the off-season. Still considering power options for the XC rig.

[@scottphillips5677]

I'm part of the rigid seatpost crowd. I've tried a dropper, and found it didn't help. When you're 6'4" with long legs, getting behind a saddle isn't difficult at all. For training vs racing, I keep everything the same on all my bikes. The only exception is I use my tubulars solely for racing CX. I do have a rigid SS MTB I use in the winter when things get sloppy, but I plan to do some MTB races SS this year. Geared bike: Orbea Loki - i9 trail 245's, Maxxis Ardent Race 29x2.35, Raceface Next R + wolftooth oval, X01/XX1 mix, Fox 34SC fork, 100mm stem + 760mm bars, Ritchey Flexlogic seatpost. SS: Salsa Timberjack - Ibis 742 carbon wheels, Maxxis Rekon+ 27.5x2.8, Raceface Aeffect + 30Tx17T wolftooth cog, Niner RDO fork, 60mm stem + 787mm bars (gonna chop these to 760).

[@dustinhannum6738]

I really appreciate these videos, and I'd love to see you do a video on how you determine how long is too long for a training ride. I'm sure that this is dependent on a number of factors (age, overall fitness, current training load and point in the season, etc.). I know I have my own rules of thumb on this for myself, but they're mostly based on trial & error and feel. It would be nice to hear how you weigh all the factors as both an athlete and a coach.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great idea. I'll put that on the list.

[@tgoods5049]

You’ve got a new sub. Great content.

[@ElevationStation1988]

Great video!

[@martmartson556]

you should do a video on how to use power meter on mtb for training and racing in various races (XCO vs marathon for example) basically convince me to get a PM on my mtb when I already have PMs on road bikes

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great idea, I'll put it on the list. Spoiler: a power meter is ver useful for mtb training and you should have one on your mtb.

[@kevinniles3850]

Have you ever talked about how to use power data? I.e. for pacing endurance events?

[@pollackrocket]

I would love to see a video on how you train for race starts specifically. Thats my weakest link right now, as it seems I always give up time to the guys that can come out of the gate much hotter than me, and then I have to fight through the pack of guys I am fitter and more technically advanced than. Thanks in advance

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Good idea. Race starts are not my strong suit either. I've got a couple specific workouts I do that would make for a good video.

[@pollackrocket]

No pressure, buuuuut, the sooner the better! I’m targeting Sea Otter for my first big race, and it’s in 5 weeks!. I’ve never done well there, but my FTP is up 10% from last year this time, and I’m 12 lbs lighter as well (amazing how well offseason can go when you’re not recovering from an injury). I will be riding Pisgah for a week in May, maybe stop and shake your hand 1 of those days.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Haha ok. Basically you want to do 3 to 5 10 minute efforts on trail as if they are the start of the race. That means start with your foot down and then as hard as you can go for the first minute and settle in. This works great if you have a loop that you can time yourself on. Please stop by CTS and say hello!

[@pollackrocket]

Dylan Johnson on it...thanks man!

[@thecrankster4162]

You can do interval sprints, and that would be separate than your reg workout, for ex: tues, and thur start warm up 15 min, then do 3-4(1 min 100%) rest 3 min in between intervals. Then warm down, this should take 40 to 45 min, then time it for your race and taper, then tell me how your sprint was at the start, and dont forget incorporate sprinting in your reg trail riding as if it was a race around 2 to 3 times about 3 weeks before your race....

[@23chrischen]

I would be really interested in hearing about the differences between Moderate and super fast XC treads - like the Ikon vs Aspen vs Rekon Race. There’s lots of information online about trail/enduro tires, but not much comparisons of these more minimal treads. Some specific questions I have are: 1) How much faster (rolling resistance wise) would a Rekon race be than an ikon or aspen? 2) How much slower/more difficult would the downhills be, given the smaller knobs? 3) Is there a certain point skill level wise that racers should consider “graduating” to a slicker/faster tire?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great idea. Agreed, there is a lot of confusion around the Ikon, Aspen, and Rekon Race. I'll put that in the list of video ideas.

[@BikepackingwithFriendsTK]

I would love a Video on the Quarq XX1 Eagle Powermeter since I'm thinking of buying one myself 👍🏻

[@DaaamnGina]

2. Bundesliga Aktuell Yes, this. And have you experienced power spikes over rough terrain with the Quarq? I have read that some power meters with accelerometer cadence sensors can be fooled by bumpy terrain and report huge power. I have a Stages Gen 3 crank on my road bike, and I have seen 1 spike when I rolled over an ice patch this winter. Not a big deal since it’s a road bike, but I presume it may be quite bad for MTB riding.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I haven't experienced that with the quarq. The stages mtb power meters might be a different story but I haven't tried one.

[@DaaamnGina]

Thanks!

[@perrymeister898]

Tom Kunzmann me too !

[@jatinmaharao6888]

Are we going to see some KOMs in the next few days?

[@geoffreyanderson4719]

Speed beats fashion-du-jour every time. Great video. Question: Not a gravel race, but a long cross country race: Do aero bars fit into your XC setup when there are lots of flat or slight gentle long downhill sections? There are definitely segments where I wish I had an old-school "Spinachi" hook bar on my MTB to hold me lower and narrower more comfortably.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Yes! I run aero bars for marathon mtb racing on certain courses. If there is a lot of road or gravel it's a game changer.

[@mlegrand]

Cool channel!

[@fastleopard1]

Great video. 2 questions. What do you think about the stability of aero bars on a gravel bike? Also, do you still recommend getting professionally fitted for all your bikes or do you just know by now what it should feel like

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I would recommend getting fitted if not on all your bikes then at least one so you have something to go off. The aero bars can be sketchy in certain gravel situations. You definitely have to be attentive.

[@DavidSaundersPosts]

Hi Dylan: I’m a roadie who’s interested in XC racing in Virginia. Think Wakefield series and Shenandoah 100. My bike is a trek fuel with 2.6” tires which are a slog. Do you recommend going down to 2.35” for racing? If so, should I also train on them too? BTW I love pisgah too and the wide tires were awesome there.

[@NoCopyrightTunes]

Did the BB30 crank work with the DUB crankset? Thanks!

[@lbanezjs1000]

dylan, do another one of these in 2022!

[@sebagesche]

How do you pace for long climbs with power meter at maraton racing? Actually preparing a maraton national, after coming from a full xco season

[@user93634]

I did have someone ask one time if I was really about to descend Pilot on a rigid post Scalpel Si lol. Who doesn't love entertainment? "Oh shh.. (bike: kr kr krrrr)"

[@isaacedwards2970]

So next year i will be going to Appalachian State University and i will for sure be taking several trips to ride in pisgah, tho I’m only gonna be bringing my cross/road bike and full xc race hardtail. I know its definitely not ideal to be riding a xc bike on the pisgah trails like you said, but is it still possible to get some good fun in with the hardtail, and should i worry about constantly braking my bike?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Nah you'll be fine. My first 2 years living here I rode a hardtail. It's still a good time. I'd invest in a strong pair of training wheels though.

[@cruzanbum3108]

I have an RKT 4 star build. Amazing ride for XC racing. Thinking of going to tubulars to save some weight and I’m familiar with them. Waddaya think?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I've run tubulars before. To be honest I don't think they are worth the hassle. I think that the limited tire options holds them back. Dugaust tires perform really well but you ran a high risk of flatting. The performance from other tubulars isn't great.

[@oilguy54able]

Regarding “Blowing up”, would use the “power”, “power average”, or both readings on the head unit display?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Power, if suddenly your power starts to drop bad things are about to happen. As soon as that happens I usually try to get calories into my system to fight. I'd say it works about half the time and very much depends on how close to the finish you are.

[@waynerose5047]

Can you do a video on pacing for endurance MTN race?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Yes! I plan to make a video on that.

[@marekzmazur2077]

Go balls to the wall at the start till you naturally slow down and fall into a pace you can hold for the rest of the race.

[@aviationmotivation4957]

What size do you use for a mountain bike?

[@blambmtb6189]

How does that rdo climb 1-10?

[@Barryridesbikes]

Hi Dylan. I am a mountain bike marathon racer ( 50+) in The Netherlands and finished 4th, 2 consecutive years in a row. I am still riding a hardtail and as tend to lose the races on the long climbs, I am holding onto the idea that I am doing the right thing being on a hardtail. . I come from a xc background so lose no time on downhills. Is this stupid? Should I be on a fully. I guess I am worried about the extra weight. (1 kg )

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I was in the same boat but I've spent the last few years on a full suspension and it is hard for me to go back at this point. Obviously it depends on the course but I'd guess a fully is faster 80% of the time. Just look at world cup xc now. Almost all fullys.

[@alainpfammatter8224]

Do you use the same seat height on your full sus MTB and Gravel or road bike? I wonder how you set it up? I run my seat height around 1cm lower on my fully mtb compared to my road bike. Which doesnˋt seem logic but feels right for me. I use spd shimano xtr pedals on my mtb and look keo pedals on my road bike.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Ha, I'm the opposite. My seat is slightly higher on my mtb.

[@geoffreyanderson4719]

@@DylanJohnsonCyclingI think your dropper post figures into that situation. There is no way a rigid post on an MTB can be set higher than a road bike.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

@@geoffreyanderson4719 It has to do with the stack height of my road shoes/pedals I'm pretty sure.

[@kristiannilsson1893]

Please make a video on HRV.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I'll put it on the list!

[@jamesdadula4416]

Can you share some workouts to be a stronger sprinter?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I've got that in the list of video ideas. Thanks!

[@geoffreyanderson4719]

Race starts might benefit from sprint work too, depending on the race course.

[@SteveHofsaess]

Any feedback on aero bars for an all around bike, Specialized Tarmac

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Depends on the event you're using it for but should work fine.

[@marksimpson1182]

I have been racing MTB XC for the last 3 years and I cannot seem to get my race day warm-up down. Any suggestions for a good race day warm-up routine?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

The warm up doesn't need to be that long. 20 to 30 minutes is fine and after 10 minutes of warm up I would do 3 efforts where you ramp from zone 3 to a sprint. They should decrease in length from 3 minutes to 1 minute. This is just one protocol out of many but I've found it works well. As with a lot of things warm ups take experimentation.

[@marksimpson1182]

@@DylanJohnsonCycling thank you.

[@MagnificentMorten]

What ultra light aero bars would you use for marathon MTB?

[@sarah-janelowrie2571]

Dylan has a link in the description of what he uses. Scroll up!

[@johnvmtb5440]

Hi Dylan, what you’re height and size you ride on the jet 9 RDO. I’m trying to buy one. My height is 5”7. Any suggestions??

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

A medium would probably be best for you. I’m 5’10” and ride a large.

[@johnvmtb5440]

Dylan Johnson thanks for your response. And have great bike season

[@neilk22]

The weight differences between side wall protection and the equivalent non side wall protection can be way more than 50g. For instance the schwalbe lite skin vs snake skin rocket Ron can differ up to to 400g!! I’d rather run super light unsprung mass and deal with repercussions when sealant doesn’t cope IE using gators or plugs when required. For XC a dropper post is unnecessary added weight too.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I was referring to the difference in weight between the protected and non protected maxxis tires but yeah you are right some protection tires get crazy heavy. For XC more and more racers are choosing a dropper even at the world cup level.

[@jamesdadula4416]

Can you explain tmax and pmax?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Yeah interesting stuff, tmax is the time to exhaustion at VO2max power and pmax is that VO2max power. Being that this is your max for that duration in order to work your VO2max you want to reduce your time at pmax for individual intervals so you can do multiple intervals and you end up accumulating more time at pmax throughout the workout. So if your tmax is 5 minutes you may cut that in half and do 4 to 6 2.5 minute intervals at pmax. Some cool science on this, may be a topic for a future video.

[@jamesdadula4416]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@ianschwing1273]

So what I got from this is that having three ridiculously nice bikes is the only way.... haha. But seriously, I don’t live in pisgah, do you think anyone can get away with the road and race mtb?

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Hahaha, certainly. If you are going to train on your race mtb then I'd suggest a cheap pair of training wheel and obviously maintenance becomes really important.

[@ianschwing1273]

Dylan Johnson 👍

[@marekzmazur2077]

So I'm going to get laughted at by the locals when I show up to PSR with my 100mm travel xc bike? 😥

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Just throw a dropper on. It will reduce the amount of laughter and you'll have a far better time during the race.

[@avalanx]

Terrain doesn't look that wild to be honest.

[@user-nk9pr2jo1w]

Hello Dylan. I'm very thankful of videos you uploaded. So helpful videos. I saw your video about zwift workout, and i have a question about it. Im preparing for the race which is 40days left. My map power is 350w. ftp is 289 and 3.8w/kg. Race is 50km flat road and i want to do everything to prepare. I found the 'hunter's challenge' in zwift which is notorious for its difficulty. whatsonzwift.com/workouts/hunters-challenge/ The workout is 28day long. No rest days. the difficulty of workout is no matter to me. i wanna do very hard to improve. So, Im wondering this workout is good for me. is this workout is hard and efficient for your perspective? im thinking about finishing workout and rest a week. or have a rest between weeks. Do you recommand this workout to be best shape in 40days? or can you recommand something like your method 1rest, 3 ride, 1rest, 2ride? Your advise will be very helpful for me. Thanks. Sincerely.

[@sarah-janelowrie2571]

Drop him an email and pay him to coach you for best results. All the best for your race!