Marin’s Team CXR 29er Pro is my race steed for the 2014 mountain bike race season. I finally have the bike spec’d to my liking. My first ride on “The Earth Horse” was February 2nd. I’ve clocked 800 miles on the bike so far….

Complete, the bike weighs in at 21.8 lbs. I’d drop another pound if I were to ditch the dropper post.  But getting the saddle out of the way makes the downhills so much more fun! Notice my sweet matching Elite Custom Race bottle cage? It’s made out of bitchin’ pas-teek.

The bike comes spec’d with a 100mm FOX 32 Float Factory CTD with Kashima Coat and Trail adjust.  I swapped in heritage FOX fork stickers that I picked up at Sea Otter. FOX celebrates their 40th anniversary as a company this year. Thanks to Hammer Nutrition for your sponsorship! Perpetuem and Endurolytes fuel all my races and long training rides.

I’ve tried Magura and SRAM, but I think Shimano takes the top step for best brakes. They have required the least maintenance and have the most consistent brake modulation and performance. I went all out with the top of the line Shimano XTR brakes. At 720mm wide, the Easton EC70 carbon bar allows for some aggressive riding!

My awesome mechanic/boyfriend saw that the internal routing wasn’t being used since I don’t have a front deurailleur with the XX1 set up. So with a little machining, he was able to route the rear brake hose through it. It makes for a clean look!

The rims and hubs are Marin branded Formula/Xero Carbon. Reviews of them are hard to come by, but all that matters to me is that they have been proven to be strong, light, and fast. Geax Saguaro tires are my favorites for the abrasive Reno-Tahoe terrain. I will never run anything other than a tubeless system if I have the choice. I can run about 28 psi and take max advantage of the big wheels. Custom cut Gorilla tape and WTB valves were used to seal ’em up.

SRAM’s XX1 drivetrain is light, efficient, and stealthy. For me, the days of three chainrings up front are over! I still can’t get over how the largest rear 42-tooth cog is bigger than my brake rotor! I swapped out the 180mm rotor up front so I have matching 160mm front and rear rotors. Shaves off a bit of weight, and still plenty of braking power for XC.

Thomson’s Elite Dropper Seat Post seems to be the most reliable dropper on the market so far, but you pay a pretty penny for it. I run Specialized Ruby 155mm saddles on my mountain and road bikes. Between the broad width of the saddle and also of my thighs, a dropper seat post is almost a necessity for me. Getting the saddle out of the way allows me to ride more technical and steeper terrain, more comfortably on a 100mm hardtail.

The Mavic Crossmax SL Ti pedals have a carbon body and titanium axle, weighing in at 240 grams. Mavic announced a “technical collaboration” with Time Sport (in other words, as far as I can tell these are rebranded Time pedals). I’m a fan of Race Face’s crank boots, to help protect the carbon crank arms from rock bashing.

Fun with strange camera settings. Thanks to Jared for being my mechanic and awesome boyfriend. Thanks to Marin for making such an awesome XC race bike! Now if only I can get one of Marin’s Attack Trail bikes….