Today was my first day back from Florida and being away for work. It was a chilly day with temps barely breaking 40 degrees and a crisp 25 mph west wind that made it feel much cooler. None the less, I needed to ride. The Superfly is in the shop for brake caliper warranty and both road bikes are out because my shoes, road pedals, and helmet are in transit (FedEx ground) with Jo's bike from FL. This left only the HiFi, which I've been itching to ride anyway.
The HiFi
I met up with Doug and we rode Green Mountain, a 10 mile loop on a small hill east of Red Rocks. Like Marshall Mesa, Green Mountain is best appreciated by beginners or the rest of us during winter months. Other than an occasional view of downtown Denver, it's not very picturesque, the single track is riddled with softball size rocks, and there aren't any trees offer protection from the wind. But being able to mountain bike in the middle of February makes all of that moot, Green Mountain was wonderful!
Green Mountain Tracklog
This was my first ride on the HiFi in Colorado and since building it up in with Sram XO in place of Shimano XT. Transitioning from the Superfly to the HiFi was seamless, the complete opposite of my old Santa Cruz Superlight. From the moment I clipped in, I felt right at home. This is the exact reason I got the bike (more on that here). The Fox RP23 rear shock did its job flawlessly. When locked out in Pro-Pedal position 1, pedal bob was non-existent, yet unlocked it rode over the softball size rocks like a Cadillac. Doug, riding his Superfly, was constantly out of his saddle working the bike to stay on the trail. I just sat, spun, and smiled! The trade-off was a noticeable gap that Doug opened up ahead of me. The HiFi is 5lbs heavier than the Superfly and therfore lacks its light and nimble feel (the one that brings love at first pedal stroke). It was a bit too heavy to be thrown around, but with the plush suspension I didn't need to. I just rode over whatever I wanted. For what it is (a full suspension 29er) the HiFi performed wonderfully.
Cold
Denver in the Distance
The HiFi
I met up with Doug and we rode Green Mountain, a 10 mile loop on a small hill east of Red Rocks. Like Marshall Mesa, Green Mountain is best appreciated by beginners or the rest of us during winter months. Other than an occasional view of downtown Denver, it's not very picturesque, the single track is riddled with softball size rocks, and there aren't any trees offer protection from the wind. But being able to mountain bike in the middle of February makes all of that moot, Green Mountain was wonderful!
Green Mountain Tracklog
This was my first ride on the HiFi in Colorado and since building it up in with Sram XO in place of Shimano XT. Transitioning from the Superfly to the HiFi was seamless, the complete opposite of my old Santa Cruz Superlight. From the moment I clipped in, I felt right at home. This is the exact reason I got the bike (more on that here). The Fox RP23 rear shock did its job flawlessly. When locked out in Pro-Pedal position 1, pedal bob was non-existent, yet unlocked it rode over the softball size rocks like a Cadillac. Doug, riding his Superfly, was constantly out of his saddle working the bike to stay on the trail. I just sat, spun, and smiled! The trade-off was a noticeable gap that Doug opened up ahead of me. The HiFi is 5lbs heavier than the Superfly and therfore lacks its light and nimble feel (the one that brings love at first pedal stroke). It was a bit too heavy to be thrown around, but with the plush suspension I didn't need to. I just rode over whatever I wanted. For what it is (a full suspension 29er) the HiFi performed wonderfully.
Cold
Denver in the Distance
The Foothills
We rode just over one loop before the cold got to us. The entire ride totalled a short 12.3 miles with 1959 total feet of climbing, in 1:09. With a few more tweaks, like a tubeless tire conversion, different saddle, and perhaps a longer stem it will be perfect. I can't wait to ride it again!
Elevation / Speed
No comments:
Post a Comment