Ellis 29'er, First Dirt!

I'm a bit sheepish to admit it, but yesterday was my first day out on the new 29'er. It's not that there haven't been opportunities to get out before this, but it has been a cold, rainy spring here in Wisconsin. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

As for the ride, I wasn't sure how many miles my legs had in them, but once I got going, I did the whole blue loop, the connector trail and Emma Carlin at the Kettles. All told, 28 miles and change, and I was kinda dragging on that last bit of the blue loop, sore legs today!

What can I say about the bike? I may be a bit biased, but it really rocks! The combination of really light wheels, (Stan's Crest rims with tubeless Schwalbe Racing Ralph's) and the XTR parts is amazing. I couldn't believe just how powerful the XTR brakes are, just one finger and I can totally lock the wheels up with almost no effort. The 2 x 10 is cool too, but I have to admit, I don't think I used the big ring at all yesterday, the 30T with an 11 x 36 cassette was plenty for the ups and downs at the Kettles.

I think if I had been on my old Rockhopper, I'd have maybe ridden the blue loop and the connector, but this bike just begs to be ridden longer and faster! (pretty cliche, right?)

Well, that's all I've got for now, here's to more warm weather here soon!

Cheers,
Dave