Mid Week Updates.

Well, the first Ramble Ride is scheduled for tomorrow.  This is the third attempt at making this happen, so unless plague (it happened before), pestilence, or the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse intervene, Ed the Tall and I should be riding in great spring conditions.  I know last night's ride around a local loop found me knee deep in new grass and flowers.  The Lupine were everywhere and the aroma was like the perfume counter at Macys.  Enjoy it while it lasts, as in a couple of months, the brown comes to town.  The Epic Marathon is on tap for that ride.

The SRAM XX suite on that bike continues to impress.  It has not skipped a beat yet, but last night I would not have minded a lower gear.  I need to stay on my game and be fit to get the most out of that 26/36 combo as there are some steep and prolonged climbs in that ride.  I was reading where a pro rider for Giant was talking about his new scooter for the season, a full suspension, carbon zzzuuuper-bike (no hardtail at all) and he was running a 1x9 (or 10spd...not sure) set up with a 38T front CR and a 34 T rear top cog.  OOooofff!!!  Must be nice to be superbad like that.

Afterwards, I assembled the Specialized Rockhopper SS that showed up today for testing on 29".com.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it had the split-shell EBB set up like the pricier Stumpy S frame.  It took some stem swapping to get the fit right and I need to put some different tires on it before I get out there, but if it works out, I am thinking of a pretty long SS ride on Sat to break it in.  We shall see.  Pics to come from the trail rides as they happen. It is pretty good looking, definitely the 'SS In The Grey Flannel Suit'.

If I like the bike, especially the overall feel of the frame, handling, etc, I am pretty hep on looking at building up one of these:

The Stumpjumper version, frame only.  Very Nice.

Since I have most of the parts I need and new wheels are waiting in the wings as soon as I order spokes, I could move parts over pretty much as is.  I do need to upgrade my fork at some point as the RST M29, although it is a steady companion, is heavy-ish and a bit out of step with the suppleness of the newer and more costly forks like the Rebas and Fox stuff.  But, the Stumpy frame, she is sexy, is she not?

I am getting ready to pick up a flash drive Vid camera, like the Flip series.  Crazy how cheap that technology is.  I have a very nice Mini DV Sony vid camera that cost 3 times as much.  Sure, lens quality and all that...optical zoom, yada, yada, but really, the new Flip type cameras are pretty amazing for what they do and what they cost.  And, they are soooo easy to carry.  Hopefully it will turn out to be a useful tool.

Well, till tomorrow and the rambling happens....