maiden voyage

First ride with the new bike. i only rode off-road for about 30 minutes before the ground was in full thaw mode. it got really goopy and i just didn't want to deal with spending 2 hours cleaning it, since i was going to change front ders later in the day. another 30 minutes on gravel and pavement at shawnee mission park gave me an easy recovery ride of an hour.
The 'Niner' rode like i thought it would. steeping head tube created a quicker handling bike compared to my Fisher 29'er. i also thik itmight be a pound lighter. this is unsubstantiated though, cuz i haven't weighed it yet.
I think i will make another change in the set-up of mountain bike. i am going to a single ring up front, replacing the standard 3 rings. i just don't like the lack of clearence issues and the cross gearing really limits your gear choices anyway. i've got 3 chainrings on order, a 32, 34, and 36 tooth. depnding on the trails, i will change out accordingly. i am unsure how the single ring will work in race scenerio, so i will use the next month and a half to experiment with the 1x9 set-up. i hope it work out, cuz the simplicity of it really intrigues me. i've run a 1x9 set-up on my cross' bikes the last 2 race seasons and loved it. however, a mountain bike race has got a little more elevation change an is generally at least an hour longer than a cross' race. we'll see..............if the 1x9 experiment doesnt work for racing, then plan B is to go to a 2 ring set-up, similar to a road compact gearing set-up. i've had in mind a 29/40 , 30/40 or a 29/42 gear set-up. with mountain bike cranks, its tough to find anybody making the exact sized rings with the right bolt pattern and spacing. i think my only option will be going back to an octa-link style BB and crankset. and i belive my only option is the company FSA. they are the only company that i can find doing that kind of set-up and gearing.
I've got a cold and possibly wet commute to the bike shop tommorrow. i hope its snow and not rain. i think kansas city is supposed to get another blast of arctic air over the next week and a half or 2. makes for some long cold base miles. fortunately my motivation is still pretty good so getting on a trainer a feww days a week doesn't seem so horrible right now. eventually the monotony of it will drive me outside to bear 15-20 degrees, even 10 degrees on the mountainbike. riding in the frigid cold is like anything. if you are prepared and dress acordingly then it can be an enjoyable, almost an adventurous experience.

till the next time! and don't bother steering on ice.............