Back in the saddle, again.

Well, my rest is over and it has been back to training. I've been riding a couple bikes that I got at Revolution recently that I thought might be worth mentioning.

The first is the Spider 29er. Sorry the photo quality is so bad. I think my camera was full of sweat when I took this.

I really like this bike. It definitely feels looong, and I fully expected to blow the first switch-back I came to, but in fact I rode every switchback, including one I don't always succeed on. I did it several times just to see. The steering on this bike is interesting because it feels stable, but when riding slow it turns right around stuff. The bike is ultra smooth. I did bump my toe on the front tire when climbing switchbacks a couple times, but no so hard that it upset my balance or anything. Would I race it? I dunno. It was built up pretty heavy, and it feels heavy. I don't know what the frame really weighs, but I'd be surprised if it is below 6 lbs. As far and handling goes, yup, I would.

The second bike is an Air 9 by Niner Bikes. The sizing on this bike is wierd -- I fit a small very well. Normally I am a medium. The seat-tube is super-short. I had a straight post for it, but it was much too far forward. I didn't have a set-back post, so I stuck a Thudbuster on there, which is kind of nice for the hardtail anyway. It also has only one bottle mount. I'll probably add a second. The overall weight is about 23 lbs...my Nitrous was lighter and full-suspension, but pretty light for a 29er.

I really like how it handles. Honestly, I forget it is a 29er. With the Thudbuster and our smooth trails it feels more like a suspension bike than I would have expected. I will almost certainly do some racing on this bike in the coming year.

Anyway, I've been having a ton of fun on both these bikes riding around in the dark at 5 am before the kids wake up. There won't be many more days like this past few weeks before the skiing starts and biking becomes an on-road sport.