Isn't it funny how things happen? About 6 months ago I went into the bike shop, got a little Giant Boulder. Now I'm getting a new bike! The wee bike, has served me well but it is time to upgrade to a race bike Poor wee thing has been thrashed around a bit too much and isn't handling it too well- and the V-brakes aren't too reliable!
So.. after great deliberation I have decided on the '05 Giant XTC2. Love the new set of forks that Giant have brought them out with, not as much travel but it should be fine. Sooo incredibly light! So in 2 weeks, hopefully the wee black beast will be in my living room! (Of course it will be treated like a king!)
Can't wait until winter so I can race on a REAL bike [img]smile.gif[/img]
BTW- Isn't it amazing how excited you can get over a new bike?
Originally posted by Flee: And when you get it........the very few of us would like to see a picture of it. It's called "Bike Porn".
No kidding. In a thread last year, I commented that I go into a shop and look at bikes like other guys look at porn. I have to look longingly at every bike, stroke frames, squeeze saddles.... it's a bad addiction man!
Well "he" arrived yesterday, and gosh it's amazing how much different it rides.. so incredibly light. I'm not sure on the weight actually, but I can lift it with one hand. I'll be racing cross country.
Yup as you can see here it is the hardtail. I did look at the NRS (FS) range but opted for the HT- no real reason, just personal preferance! One thing I was surprised at was when I rode it home it was like a road bike- so smooth and effortless! Now I've just got to hit the tracks and get some mud on it!
Sorry about the low quality- will get a better pic soon!
Originally posted by Kaiser: Enjoy it Emz... I have a Giant as well and they make solid mtbs.
Joe, I have had the NRS2 for two seasons now and recommend it wholeheartedly. Performs without problem and takes a beating and still holds true.
i've been meaning to ask you, does your rear suspension cause you to lose any power on the hills? That is my biggest fear since the hills are my biggest strength or smallest weakness depending on your outlook.
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Today's mighty oak was once just some nut who held his ground!
OK, I finally got to this a full 6 months later Joe. No, I have no real problem climbing. It is never going to be as nice as a hardtail, but as Sarah can attest while I was on JPs FS rig, it doesn't really bother me much if I have the power to go up a hill. You would think I would notice the bob and loss of power a lot since I am on a road bike that transfers all of the power I crank out to the wheels.
Thanks to Emz for posting her pic in 'The Thread', which started the spiral back to this one and my very late reply.
Nice bike! Joe listen to Kaiser about climbing on a full squish bike. If it's properly designed and setup (air pressure or spring weight), it will help you on climbs; especially the technical ones. It makes it much easier going even if you choose a bad line.
Ah, screw all that! I'll say something I told someone on the bikeforum:
I love passing people on $3000 - $4000 bike with my old beat up $600 bike. When they pass me I don't feel I need a new bike, I just need to do more hill repeats!
That said, my next bike will probably be an FS. The funds can't handle it now so I'll just have to hardtail it for awhile.
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Today's mighty oak was once just some nut who held his ground!
On this forum, 'squish' means something very different Aaron! LOL
Joe, it comes down to how much of a beating your body wants to take as it gets older. You know how to pick lines, you've ridden a hardtail now for a while. Once you have that, the FS will just enhance the ride and lessen the fatigue by absorbing some of the punishment. In my case, I should've ridden more hardtail because I get sloppy about my lines. But in your case, that is not an issue. So the question is.... do you want to be more fresh at the end of a long race because your body is not taking the same kind of pounding as it does on a hardtail?
BTW, the same thing applies to my carbon Trek road frame - one of the first things I noticed while riding it was that I wanted to go longer and longer than before, and then I realized it was because I was not as worn out from the bumps as before. (So if you can swing a FS CF mtb like the NRS Air, or Trek Fuel Carbon, I'd go for it! The long-term payoff in sweet rides will more than offset the price, IMO).
I would definitely go for a full susser now, if I had the chance. They just take that extra impact out of my (young) beat up body!
I've just changed my bike around a little bit now. I've changed the stem to a shorter one (it was 110mm but now it's 70mm) and the seat to a more women's specific one. (I don't know WHO designed the WTB Rocket-V but it is evil)
They do say over here though- start off on a HT because you learn to pick your lines alot better!
I love my WTB Rocket V! Really! I guess it's made to fit my backside ("who put the rocket up his ass?" is something I can otherwise dream about hearing while on my bike)
Poor wee thing has been thrashed around a bit too much and isn't handling it too well- and the V-brakes aren't too reliable!
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