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  • New (to me) bike a woodpile and some serious hat eating :-)
  • letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    I am a technical luddite thats for sure.

    Rigid bikes and mechanical disc brakes are and have been for a while the staple for my riding tool.

    I’ve not always been like that though!

    Nearly a year ago I bought this fame on a bit of a whim. Prior to this I had had little experience of full suspension bikes and if honest no need for them …. or so I thought.

    I had often wondered why people chose to ride FS on the routes around me when a rigid bike is all that was needed. I now have a slightly altered outlook!

    Anyway the bike.

    The frame is a large 2013 Giant Trance XO. Despite having the shortest TT of all of my modern bikes (by some way) I took the plunge believing that it would work out OK. I’m currently running an inline post, 100mm stem and 700mm bars.

    Built up on a budget using bits I already had the only bits I needed was a fork, headset and new hose for the rear brake.

    Running hugely unfashionable 1×9 gearing, a negative rise stem and narrow (700m) bars I present to you my Trance and a wood pile:

    Pre first proper ride I had wondered if all the faffing of internal cables, hoses and endless playing with air pressures had been worth it ……

    25 minutes in to yesterdays ride I was blowing out of my ar$se. Initially I thought it was just hard going then realised I had been tanking and just not noticed.

    The heavily rutted clay beneath me could have been smooth tarmac based on how it felt.

    I ended up staying out far longer than expected. Even when presented with a fairly long road section with the shock in C and the fork locked out there was no obvious bobbing.

    So there. I’m not converted but I am slightly worried about jumping back on the fatbike to do the same loop! I now see the appeal even on the tame XC stuff we have around us.

    If I keep the bike it may need to go on a bit of a diet as at 29lbs I feel it should weigh less but its a minor point.

    Based solely on first impressions 🙄 this will be my MM Solo bike 😆

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    Hmm no love for the woodpile … I mean bike!

    wrecker
    Free Member

    I like it, but be warned; it’s a slippery slope!
    Next thing you’ll be paying attention to those sleek looking Yeti adverts full of carbon lovely and doing mental arithmetic………….

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    I’m sure its the case of SNBS (Shiny New Bike Syndrome) but a light 100/110/120mm frame could be the start of something brilliant ….. and expensive!

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