Saturday, August 4, 2007

The Maiden Voyage

Well I finally got out for a ride today on the new bike. Overall, it went pretty well. I went to Harris Lake to ride and did all of the trails once plus an extra trip through the beginner and intermediate trails for a photo op. In the end I did 11.33 miles with an average speed of 8.7 mph. The photo op ride was a pretty casual pace and I also had to do szome backtracking at one point to recover a water bottle that I dropped, which dropped my speed some. All things considered, it was just as fast as I would have been on a geared bike. Here are some observations from the ride.

The Good
The Feel of the Bike - I was worried that the rigid fork might be a little harsh on the trail but it turns out that it really wasn't any worse than Gennie. The steel frame and carbon bars did a good job of dampening out trail buzz and making for a pretty smooth ride. There were a couple of bigger roots that were a jolt but the cheap fork on the Fisher wasn't that much smoother than this rigid setup. I didn't take the bike off of any drops or sweet jumps, which is probable where I will really feel the lack of suspension.

The Ride - There wasn't anything really special about the feel of the bike or the geometry except that it rides like a bike. It isn't anything revolutionary, but the bike went where I wanted when I wanted it to. The handling isn't sluggish or twitchy, just fun.

The Gears - I was worried that 34-18 might be a little steep to start out with but I cleared almost every hill out there. The only time I had to get off and walk was the big hill in the double black diamond section, which I would rarely clean on a geared bike. The big whoop-de-doo just after this hill almost stopped me but I was able to power through it, just not very gracefully. The rest of the time I made it up the climbs without much trouble. I didn't miss the gears at all.

The Weight - The front end of the bike is really light and easy to lift over logs and obstacles. Overall the bike is about 5 or 6 pounds lighter than Gennie was, which makes it a lot easier to take up the hills. The rigid fork helps out there too due to the lighter weight and efficiency compared to suspension.

It Worked - I must not of screwed anything up too badly during the build because I was able to get through the whole ride without breaking anything.

I Didn't Get Hurt - My last trip to Harris Lake ended up with me getting stitches. No such trouble today.

The Saddle - I was a little worried that the saddle wouldn't be very comfortable on the trails seeing as it came off of a road bike but I didn't have any problems. The WTB saddle on the Fisher was really comfortable in regular clothes but was a little too cushy once I started wearing cycling shorts. This saddle doesn't have as much padding as that one but is still plenty comfortable with the chamois in the shorts, at least on this length of ride. It is also very easy to get behind on the downhills, which inspired some confidence.

The Bad
Creaking Bottom Bracket - There is some sort of creaking noise coming from the bottom bracket area. I checked the chainring bolts and they are good and tight so I don't know what is causing it. I think it might just be a crappy BB but those are cheap if I want to replace it sometime.

Snake on a Trail - There was a snake on the trail that I almost ran over. It was just a black snake but I am like a little girl when it comes to snakes. I didn't see it in time to stop so I just rode right past him. He never moved that I saw but I still hammered up that hill as hard as I could.

Chipped Paint - Towards the end of the ride I decided to go ahead and meet the minimum requirement of one wreck per ride. The back wheel washed out from under me while I was going through a turn and when I fell the handlebars swung around and the brake lever hit the top tube leaving a nice scratch in the paint. Oh well, I guess it can't be pretty forever.

Where Was Everyone At - Surprisingly, I only saw a few other people on the trail. Usually I try to avoid the crowds but there should have been more people there to gawk at the beauty of this bike.

I Am Out of Shape - No surprise there.


I am hoping to get back out tomorrow and ride some more, but for now here are some photos of todays ride.

Mikey relaxing by the lake.

From the front.

Close up of the front.


Disc brakes work good.


Pretty good chainline.

The saddle.


The view from the rear.

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