I planned to ride/walk the bike into the Dells, then stash it somewhere safe until after the run when I would pick it up.
Once at the entrance to the Dells, I lowered the saddle and started to ride in.....
I was surprised to find myself walking almost nothing....
This led to the following thought: "Who am I kidding, running sucks."
Sooooo, I just continued riding this skinny tired, fendered thing through and over the rocks for a lap in both directions over the course of an hour or so.
Truly I am amazed at the capabilities of this bike. The tires are no name 41c, so they are not exactly roadie fare, but still not exactly big. The rest of the build is pure MTB components with a rather beefy flow wheelset, so I wasn't worried about killing my self too much.
Riding the bike in technical terrain took a lot of finesse. I definitely didn't want to go fast, and I could not blast up and onto stuff just bashing into it. Climbing grip was impressive on granite and terrible in the dirt. Sand killed all forward momentum. The low BB probably annoyed me the most. I constantly smacked pedals and did a lot of ratchet pedalling to get through techier bits.
I also had a couple rude reminders about the low BB as I scraped teeth off the triple in front. No bash on this baby.
A hiker was kind enough to snap a few photos.
I also ran and I like these wacky shoes lot.
3 comments:
That is the coolest bike you own....I LOVE it!
So you like those shoes, eh? I've been curious about them for a while. Would love to get your review after you've run with them for a bit.
I only have four runs in them, but they are a hoot. I am still trying to get my mileage up, so the longest run has only been about 40 minutes.
They are superb for technical running, especially uphill. Downhill in loose terrain, they are not as grippy as a typical trail runner. Flat terrain, and even the street does not seem to bother my feet much on the short runs I have done so far.
Your body immediately adapts to the lack of padding and you start running differently. Quietly. Almost no shock. The bottom is thick enough to keep out sharp stones and thorns, but you still feel the trail.
Overall, they make running fun for me.
Downside: My calves still kill me after each run. My muscles have not adapted to the different mechanics involved in a barefoot type stride.
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