hawkhill97
Retro Guru
Re:
Thanks I'm actually really please with how it's come out looking - I prefer it in its new black & silver garb to the colour schemes available in the late 90s!
I took it out for a spin tonight after work. The weather was awful, but the alternative was sitting in traffic due to roadworks, so I thought I'd chance it. Went out for a lap of my usual after-work ride, a 50 minute-ish XC loop on the top of the Mendips.
I must confess I was slightly underwhelmed with how the bike rode when I took it out the other day on some flat easy trails. This ride fixed that
Started with a short sharp sod of a climb made up of loose sandy bits and fist sized rocks. I was really impressed with the amount of grip on the rear when climbing. It takes a bit of the finesse and line choice out of the climb (which I do quite enjoy), but point it uphill and pedal full blast and it doesn't half do the job. Bagged my first trig point on this bike a little further on at the top
On the way back down, I'd forgotten how much fun (and how flattering) full sus bikes can be. Bearing in mind I usually ride this loop on a rigid bike, I felt like a downhill pro today! Carrying that much more speed meant I took a few dodgy lines I'd normally avoid, but despite the slightly front heavy feeling while descending, the bike was very forgiving while I clunked my way through rocks and drops like a sack of spuds... err, downhill pro
I'm especially impressed with the forks. They're only elastomer/spring jobbies with air/oil damping, but I didn't once miss my more modern rockshox revelations that grace my hardtail.
I also cleared one uber-rooty section of single track that I'd never managed before. Again, not much finesse involved on my part, but it still felt awesome
Looks like this one is going to be a keeper.
Thanks I'm actually really please with how it's come out looking - I prefer it in its new black & silver garb to the colour schemes available in the late 90s!
I took it out for a spin tonight after work. The weather was awful, but the alternative was sitting in traffic due to roadworks, so I thought I'd chance it. Went out for a lap of my usual after-work ride, a 50 minute-ish XC loop on the top of the Mendips.
I must confess I was slightly underwhelmed with how the bike rode when I took it out the other day on some flat easy trails. This ride fixed that
Started with a short sharp sod of a climb made up of loose sandy bits and fist sized rocks. I was really impressed with the amount of grip on the rear when climbing. It takes a bit of the finesse and line choice out of the climb (which I do quite enjoy), but point it uphill and pedal full blast and it doesn't half do the job. Bagged my first trig point on this bike a little further on at the top
On the way back down, I'd forgotten how much fun (and how flattering) full sus bikes can be. Bearing in mind I usually ride this loop on a rigid bike, I felt like a downhill pro today! Carrying that much more speed meant I took a few dodgy lines I'd normally avoid, but despite the slightly front heavy feeling while descending, the bike was very forgiving while I clunked my way through rocks and drops like a sack of spuds... err, downhill pro
I'm especially impressed with the forks. They're only elastomer/spring jobbies with air/oil damping, but I didn't once miss my more modern rockshox revelations that grace my hardtail.
I also cleared one uber-rooty section of single track that I'd never managed before. Again, not much finesse involved on my part, but it still felt awesome
Looks like this one is going to be a keeper.