- Joined
- Jul 1, 2001
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Met up with Brian and Jeff right a 4 pm and Tim showed a few minutes later. After a few minutes looking at my bike, they determined I needed some air in my fork. Thanks guys for helping out a FS newb. I definitely have some things to research.
We soon hit the N. Scoville warm-up and then headed south to hit B Street. The [post="293098"]new bike[/post] rode great, but did take some getting used to. Brian set a moderate pace and I only lagged a bit here and there and slowing Jeff in the process (sorry, bud). I also OTB'd on the big log on the new stretch we've been doing. Wrecked pretty hard with my head (thank you helmet) and right arm taking the impact of the wipe-out followed by ~30 lbs of Trek crashing over me. I narrowed it down to either: too high a seat, mashing the front disk brake which is far more powerful than what I'm used, and Brian suggested perhaps too much rebound in the rear shock. In reality, pilot error was probably likely the cause. I rode more conservatively for a bit, again slowing poor Jeff down some more.
We then crossed E. Chippens and down B Street. I skipped the ledge which I've never done, due to still being conservative and the wetness, and the realization that the stock tires suck (they will be the first upgrade). We cut this stretch short to meet Steve back at the lot. Took the twisties back.
Met up with pow and hit the cemetery twisties. Once on the doubletrack, Steve and I split off from the group who planned to ridge up on the ridge. I think Brian and I have a similar mindset in that faster-paced longer rides are where it's at. Brian was gung-ho to parallel 69 back. Jeff seemed a bit less enthusiastic but of course had the option to road it back. I'll be interested to hear what they did. Steve took off from the lot and I did the N. Scoville twisties again. I really tried to push it faster this time and started to settle in with the new bike.
Overall bike verdict: It's a keeper. A FS definitely makes for a more enjoyable ride. I still have a lot of hardware to dial in, but so far so good.
We soon hit the N. Scoville warm-up and then headed south to hit B Street. The [post="293098"]new bike[/post] rode great, but did take some getting used to. Brian set a moderate pace and I only lagged a bit here and there and slowing Jeff in the process (sorry, bud). I also OTB'd on the big log on the new stretch we've been doing. Wrecked pretty hard with my head (thank you helmet) and right arm taking the impact of the wipe-out followed by ~30 lbs of Trek crashing over me. I narrowed it down to either: too high a seat, mashing the front disk brake which is far more powerful than what I'm used, and Brian suggested perhaps too much rebound in the rear shock. In reality, pilot error was probably likely the cause. I rode more conservatively for a bit, again slowing poor Jeff down some more.
We then crossed E. Chippens and down B Street. I skipped the ledge which I've never done, due to still being conservative and the wetness, and the realization that the stock tires suck (they will be the first upgrade). We cut this stretch short to meet Steve back at the lot. Took the twisties back.
Met up with pow and hit the cemetery twisties. Once on the doubletrack, Steve and I split off from the group who planned to ridge up on the ridge. I think Brian and I have a similar mindset in that faster-paced longer rides are where it's at. Brian was gung-ho to parallel 69 back. Jeff seemed a bit less enthusiastic but of course had the option to road it back. I'll be interested to hear what they did. Steve took off from the lot and I did the N. Scoville twisties again. I really tried to push it faster this time and started to settle in with the new bike.
Overall bike verdict: It's a keeper. A FS definitely makes for a more enjoyable ride. I still have a lot of hardware to dial in, but so far so good.