Various

Got a great ride up 305, up Smith Ravine, down Smith, then Moto trail back to Seven Mile Gulch and out. Around 3 hours.

First ride on the Zion with Reba since riding the rigid fork for a while. Wow. The difference in comfort is impressive. Da Brusa is definitely that. Hard, sharp edged, fast, but also rough. You are bruised after riding it. You know you have ridden! Da Crusa on the other hand is smooth to the extreme. Feels like an inch of suspension in the back, and the fork is dreamy on the hands after riding rigid for a while. Yeah, you lose the edge in steering feel, but for certain rides, the comfort just makes sense. I don't know that I would have enjoyed the moto trail that much on a rigid bike. (FS would have been even better for this trail.)

The Zion is now choppered out with an a-c of 520mm of so (sagged around 500mm) on a bike designed for 475mm. This puts the riding HTA at around 70.5 which I am finding to be about perfect for a 29"er the way i like to ride. Frame flex was not as noticable with the Reba up front probably because the fork was absorbing a bit of the force. I liked the steering feel better with the slacker HTA.

Final verdict: I will keep the SS bikes this way for a while. Light, fast, and brutal vs springy, flexy, comfortable, and slower. If I had to pick and just have one bike, I would ride the Al bike with a Reba. I don't think my body could take regular (more than once per week) full rigid riding. It would take a toll long term, and would really limit the type of riding I would want to do with the bike. As it is, I can enjoy both. The perfect budget combo would be one frame with two easy to swap forks so you can ride soft when the occasion calls for it.

Equipment review:

Pearl Izumi Veer Shorts

Haley got me these after riding with me last and laughing at my Lycra with pads look. I was initially not too trustful of these (having been hung up behind the seat with non-lycra shorts before: NOT FUN, NOT COOL!).

What can I say, I love them. They are the most comfortable of any chamois I have ever tried, they fit great, and were not noticable throughout the ride. My recipe for good equipment. Did not hang up either, just disappeared under me if you know what I mean.

Thank you John for addicting me to another pricey piece of equipment.

Verdict: Stellar 5 stars. comfortable (very), perform, and of course, look cool.

WTB Devo Saddle:

Got it from Chris for a demo.

I did not hate it after one 3 hour ride which is saying something because my ass is very picky about saddles. and I usually toss them off after 15 minutes. A little harder (and lighter) than my Koobis. Nice wide rear like Koobi or Brooks B-17 as well.

The real test will be to mount it on the "sit down to climb" FS bike and see how I like it after 3 hours.

Verdict: 3 stars, does what you want in a saddle for the most part, doesn't suck. Can't tell much on a bike where you stand most of the ride.