Figured a new ride would be the perfect start to my third decade. After
nearly 10 years riding my single pivot Marin Mt Vision, i decided to go
for a classic 4 bar design, just because I fancied a change.
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/741673/
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/741674/
It was a cold start this morning with a wet fog that sapped any warmth
despite all the layers I was wearing. The weather was typical for the west
country at this time of year - some rain, with it 'almost raining'
in-between. It never ceases to amaze me how many different shades of grey
the winter sky can take here.
We only had a short time to ride as I had to take my wife to the airport;
sadly she was heading over to Ireland for a family funeral. Roger and I
decided to do a short loop starting at the Norton Woods quarry, which
after a short sharp climb provided a few chutes and ramps on which to get
used to the new bikes. Roger, an ex-roadie, has just picked up a spesh
enduro and seems to be warming to the idea that this bike allows him to
roll over just about anything with impunity. His confidence going down the
chutes has increased massively since he bought it, more a function of the
geometry than the 6" travel I suspect as he likes to pump the shock, fork
and tires up really hard so they don't bob on the climbs (don't get me
started).
I spent a while trying to get the dhx5 dialled to suit me, but I don't
think it is quite there yet. It seems a tad over-damped at the moment,
even with the rebound wound off most of the way. I think this may be
because the back end of the 5spot is still a little tight. I won't mess
around with the shock for a while, as bike has loosened up a bit
after two rides and there seems little point fiddling with the shock
before the bushings have worn in. The geometry however, is spot on. The
front end stays planted on the ups better than my Mt Vision, it doesn't
nose dive off drops, and it's the only bike I've ever had where I don't
have to keep putting the saddle up or down - straight away I found a
position that peddles well on the blacktop and still allows me to hang
right off the back down chutes. It's a heck of a lot stiffer at the back
than the old bike, which I now realise suffered from quite a lot of rear
end waggle, and it corners superbly.
From the quarry, we climbed another short sharp section up to the single
track that snakes along the top of the hill. The trails have obviously
seen quite a bit of action recently and are heavily eroded in places,
leading to very slippery off-camber turns laced with wet roots for a good
measure. This part of the ride is always puts me into a trance like state,
concentrating on spinning rhythm while flowing between the trees and over
fallen logs as we climb up the sinuous trail.
In preparation for the wet climb I'd let some air out of my tires to
extract the last vestiges of grip, but it was not enough to stop the bike
leaping sideways from beneath me when my concentration lapsed momentarily.
Thankfully, I landed deep in mud, with nothing hurt apart from my pride. I
also clobbered my right peddle a few times on things I used to ride
straight over, so I guess the bottom bracket must a bit lower on the 5spot
than the Marin. Either that or it's time to lay off the cake.
Usually we would head over the footbridge across the M5 and along Camp
Cadbury lane to a fast decent littered with fist sized loose rocks (don't
follow the guy in front too closely, it hurts like hell when one gets
flung up by his tyres). Today, however, time was pressing and we had to
turn back down the 'bluebell' run. More rooty singletrack that slices a
thin line down one side of the hill. This run is on a camber, so your
right (outside) leg takes a pounding as you need to weight it through
almost every corner to get your tires to bite through the soft stuff. Get
it right though, and the trail just flows beneath you in a blur as you
thread the bike between the trees. It sounds like marketing dribble, but
the 5spot really did feel like an extension of myself - visualising the
next corner or drop, the bike always seemed to be under me in exactly the
right position and perfectly weighed. Sweet.
On the tarmac back to the house, I had a play with the pro-pedal settings,
which I had wound off for the ride. I'm not sure if I am willing to forgo
small bump sensitivity for better pedalling or not - a small amount of bob
does not really matter to me and I can see myself forgetting to turn the
pro-pedal off on the fun bits. Since I went with a coil shock precisely
because of the plush small bump feel, it would seem a bit of a waste to
ride with the pro-pedal on all the time. I suspect I will go through
phases of using or not using this setting.
Sam.