Well, 28th December was the day! I belted back down the road from Scotland to get out on my new beast with the boys. I even had time to work out the front axle shenanigans! All good, very strong. So we met up at the leather smithy where onlookers were gasping at the sight of my motorbike-like new steed!
Up the hill we climbed, and a combo of my crimbo weight and the bike being "a bit" heavier, meant I was damn slow. Still, I didn't buy it to climb! With time and fitness, it will be fine though, plus the added grip from FS is helpful when climbing rocky paths. For example, the final climb up to the peak of Charity lane was a breeze. No skipping around and wheel spinnig for me!
Then charity lane awaited. For the 1st ever time I felt a bit nervous ("For the 1st time ever here, I'm shitting it"), but I turned the wheels and the 170mm forks just ate up the rocky upper sections. The rear end glued to the track too, and somehow I whizzed over about 50 yards of steep sheet ice without too much trouble. I then realised what I was riding on and bricked it! I then twitched the front end and down I went. Seeing the other boys follow me down was funny......"how the fuck did you get to there?!..." etc etc! I think the mammoth grip from my 2.5"s helped, plus the immense weight of me plus bike! Oh, and my DH style skill of course!
So we hit Chris's trail and that was fun in the snow. I then shot off like a beast down the snowy track, bypassing walkers from the barn. The brakes, grip, comfort and confidence were awesome. Not sure if you can tell, but I LOVE my new bike!
Bring on the next ride :)
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