First Dirt Baptism For Homegrown

I got out for my first dirt ride this year. I am a little bummed that it had to wait until May 2nd, but it is still a month ahead of last year's 'first-dirt'. Sunday's ride has been one of my favorite training routes. I ride from my house to the greenway, to cedar lake, to Theodor Wirth, and onto the trail. The distance is typically around 30 miles, with about 7 miles of singletrack thrown in the middle.

I felt really good and fast on the single track. This was also the first time out on the fully rigid Schwinn (but with a 26" tire up front). I have to say that the carbon fork in da-bomb. It was a little rough, but that was balanced out with how it railed the corners and felt snappy on the climbs. I don't regret changing out with the Fox Talus. The carbon absorbed a good deal of the abuse, but didn't feel like it flexed too much.

The new Schwinn weighs in at 21.5lbs on the fish scale. This is with a heavy 26" wheel up front. When I get the 29" wheel, I bet it won't add more than a pound. Unfortunately, I never weight the bike before I removed the old fork. All I can say is that I feels a lot lighter. Later this spring, I will probably rebuild the rear wheel with a lighter rim. I am running the Ryno-lite in the back, and could drop 180grams if I go to the ZTR 355. Only if I have some money burning a hole in my pocket...

I pick up the new 29" wheel on Wednesday. I plan on bringing it back out to Theo for a comparison ride. I am particularly interested in how the larger wheel will handle the rock and log piles. The 26" tire did fine, but there is room for improvement.

With a few weeks until the first race, I am feeling better prepared for the start of the season. I am down another 11#s to 189, and still feeling strong. I guess I can't race cydsdale anymore...