group ride

w/the co trail ride looming, the thursday afternoon group ride out of stark mtn bikes (waitsfield, vt), hit the spot. training can take the fun out of riding, nothing a group ride can't fix. 8 guys on the ride yesterday, solid riders and peoples, but one casualty, hope everything's ok there. a lack of rain has the trails riding insanely fast - as is the new Ti Deluxe 29'er. a cpl long technical descents i'd hold back on when alone i could take some chances on last night and it was great! the 29'er rolls over so much more, handles well in the corners, and at speed the rigid fork flexes a bunch more. was able to follow the squishy bikes down, something i'd never have been able to do on the 26'er rigid - and usually not on the 26'er w/80mm up front. i am 100% sold on the 29'er - it's the shit! i also slapped a carbon bar and a 2.3 wtb exiwolf tire up front, they both helped absorb the bumps making last night's ride one of the best fully rigid rides i've ever been on! thanks guys. (should have taken a few pics besides the above pic of the final rays of the day, next time).

been doing some loaded rides on the 29'er for the trail; only the essentials:

cpl more rides before shipping this bad boy off to denver... really should test those panniers soon! but can't quite commit to the weight they represent. still thinking i should switch to two waterproof sacks...