29er test #1

one sexy-ass bike

Had the good fortune of being offered a 'test ride'--a period of about two weeks in which to 'demo' a 2010 Specialized 29er hardtail from Bike Barn. Not sure whether I can afford one right now--well I' sure I can't, but maybe it'll snow alot this winter and my son and I can make bank on shovellin'....

Anyhow, I figure I'll tack two more weeks of riding onto my 'season' and make the best of it.

My first ride on the bike was on my real local trails, the ones right out my back door, a 3.5-mile marsh-loop, with an eclectic mix of dirt road, rooty woods, rock steps, quick steep climbs, squishy mud spots, grassy knolls, singletrack, with a tiny bit of pavement and curb-hopping thrown in. Home to Osprey, Cormorants, Red Tail Hawks, Great Blue Heron, lots of Crow and Starling, Coyote, and too many Squirrel, there's plenty wildlife.......It's a fast loop, best done twice for a base workout.

I rode like I usually do, as fast as is comfortable, while babying my 'arthritic' wrist. My first impression was that it rolls FAST!! When I hit my first curb it practically rolled right up itself, with less 'wheelie' input. When I tried the granite steps, I hardly had to try, save for the tires being wet, which made me try harder not to let slip.....

The fastest section, an arc through a gravelly parking lot, was a breeze. The singletrack bench trail above the marsh was nice, but the quick turns on and off that section showed me how the big wheels need more space to turn, and I'd need to anticipate earlier....

The true test was of the quick climbs. If there are any aspects of a bike that I really want it to excel at, it's climbing and short bursts of speed. This bike had me climbing like a goat and has no trouble drag-racing.

The things I didn't like about the bike were:

• the SRAM thumb-shifters, which I would knock accidentally with my left thumb, dropping me into granny real quick. I could probably get used to better hand placement. I've only ever had gripshift....
• the Specialized tires, not knobby enough for my tastes. While I wouldnt want to pile on much more weight to this lean 25 pound machine, I like my traction all-around.

The only other things I'd change right now would be to throw on my thudbuster and maybe riser bars. But I'll flip the stem first to see if I get high enough with that....