After riding two days straight at Alafia River, I realized something...my ass cannot take the abuse it's been going through any longer! (Somehow that didn't sound too good...hmmm). Two days, a total of about 15 miles ridden on some pretty harsh terrain consisting of mainly roots and rocks, and I can say my body is pretty much toast. I also learned something...my hardtail Trek 4300 is holding me back. I wanted to take some turns harder, and the front end was washing out. I wanted to go down some steeper hills, but the wheel hop was very nerve wracking. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an 07 Trek Fuel EX6. I got an outstanding deal on it since it was the only 07 left in the store, and they wanted it GONE. Well, now it has a new home, and will be my primary ride when I take my trip.
I started off today by adding an extra inch to the head tube riser, since I felt a little too leaned over while riding it. I also replaced the Shimano clipless pedals with the old Mosh pedals I had on my 4300....at least until I get some money to buy the clips and the shoes. I also swapped the grips for my old OURY grips off the 4300. I slapped the original pedals back on the 4300, and I just need to buy some new OURY's for it to make it a fully functional hardtail for road riding and off-season training.
So here it is! My new toy. I plan on taking it out to Alafia and Santos next weekend to start learning how to ride and properly balance it. I have a new Kenda Nevegal Stick E tire and an extra Panaracer Fire XC Pro tire that I can swap out for the stock Bontragers (which I know are not sufficient). But I want to see how they handle first- who knows, right?
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