the maiden voyage...(new bike)

I'll start with training. It feels so good to be back in the full swing of things. Training has been solid. I have had a couple good rides, 2 solid masters workouts, and a killer run on a new trail I found by my house. Tomorrow I will be heading out to pre-ride the Xterra Temecula course with some friends. It should be a good time.

OK... now for the new bike. I picked it up on Wednesday afternoon at B&L in Solana Beach. Dan hooked me up with a killer fit and I was ready to roll. I wanted to take it out as soon as I got home but I decided to wait until yesterday afternoon.

ready to roll:

my new brain:

Everything on this bike is a complete upgrade from my hardtail. The brakes, the fork, the cranks, the shifters, etc. Everything is spec'd as listed on the Specialized site. The only things that are different are the wheels and shifters. I had it built up with my Stan's ZTR Olympic wheels and had them swap the SRAM trigger shifters with SRAM twist shifters. The twist shifters have a crack on the plastic so I will be getting that replaced next week and I'll wait until then to install my new Ergon team grips.

So I headed out yesterday afternoon. My plan was take it on my local loop which has everything. Steep climbs, tight technical single track, and some long rocky descents. I can't believe how good this bike feels. I was flying down the descents faster than I ever have and with more confidence. The front and rear suspension were sucking up everything. I will still be dialing the suspension in over the next couple of weeks but Dan got me at a very good starting point. One thing I didn't expect was how much better and faster I was able to climb. I thought I may be giving up some up of my climbing going to slightly heavier bike and rear suspension. Defintely not that case. My new position and the bike handled all the climbs with ease and I was actually climbing in bigger gears.

I am so stoked on this bike. I can't wait to ride out a Vail Lake tomorrow.