I forgot

The maiden voyage last week went well... Here's the pre-ride pic. She handles the rough stuff nicely. It's WAAAAY stiffer than the aluminum version. I didn't notice the extra cm of travel (as I expected) but the ride quality is just SOOOO much better, it blew me away. Instead of holding on to the bike, I really feel like it is an extension of me. I was rolling stuff so fast, it was scary. I threw the 2.55lt tires on there for the Sunday ride and it's even nicer than those little 2.2 Nokians (which are really 2.0s but I love them).

I need to get the fork dialed. I just rode it right out of the box without setting the pressure. Those things are so adjustable with the compression damping that I could cheat. I'm running the rear the same as I did last year and that's a mistake. The extra compression that the Brain Fade allows me to run will also allow me to run less pressure and get a MORE plush ride. Ugh, I'm in heaven.

I like X.0 stuff, but I think the low-normal is better for my riding style. I just end up crushing the downshifts during transitions instead of letting it shift when it's ready. I'll have to pull that off and go with the rocket/xtr low normal setup. I'm gonna miss the 1:1 of ESP, but that's it. The crank feels stiff, the wheels run great, I like that saddle. It's the Rival 143sl. It's got a nice seatback to it. Not setback, it's actually got a little shelf that you can curl in to. It give me great control on the bike. I didn't think I'd like it but...

Almost there. A few more tweaks and we'll be in business.