So even though it rained yesterday, and it was supposed to rain today, when I woke up, it looked like there might be a quick window of no rain for a mountain bike ride. After waiting this long, I couldn't take it anymore. So I suited up and headed to Castlewood to break in the new stead. It has been a while from the last time I actually had a mountain bike (let alone rode one as such), and I was going at it alone. So, I decided that would be an easy trail to brush the rust off the fat tires.
I changed the geometry of this frame to make her a bit more aggressive, and that she was. It took a trail or two just to figure out that she really wasn't my old frame. But after that, I started to push the corners a bit more, and charge through the more technical sections. Which (due to being so rusty) got me into trouble. I had a few near misses, and a couple good crashes. I meant to beat her into submission on our first ride, but she let me know I wasn't the one with the upper hand. So now I've accepted that we'll just have to figure out each others' strengths and weaknesses, and learn to work together.
By the end of the 17 miles I ended up doing, the frame was getting splattered with mud as brown as my darkest tan, and I was getting bruised as red as the new paint she got. And as our colors merged, I was beginning to get the hang of her and the new geometry. Even though we never became one together. It was good enough for her first ride. Overall, she was just as laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant as I would have hoped for. And I think once I find my new bike handling limits, and dial in my fit, this new mistress will be my most favorite thing to ride. I mean, I love you Melissae.
I tried to take a picture, but my batteries died. So no eye candy today.
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3 comments:
Nice work on the "ride" pun. Great to hear the trail legs are in the works for both you and the new ride. Especially happy about the vertically stiff and vertical ompliance issue - I was very concerned about that.
-C. Ryback
Thank you sir. I felt obliged to bring up the lateral stiffness and vertical compliance, as this was in fact a bicycle review. I believe it was a part of the 5th revision of the Geneva Convention in the late '90s, that stated "To be fair to all bicycle manufactures, big and small, all reviews of new frames must state, in one way or another, that when riding, the rider is given a feeling of lateral stiffness, pedaling efficiency, whilst remaining vertically compliant, an idea of comfort in the saddle. Otherwise an unfair advantage is given to the other manufactures, which is unsuitable in a laizzes faire free market competition."
Wow Chris, I didn't know you were so versed on the Geneva Convention revisions.
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