El Capitan 2nd Ride

Dialed.

This thing rocks.

Changes pre-ride included switching to 4" rockers, shortening stem 10mm, switching from setback post to Gravity retarder sit on top post.

Took it on a reasonably challenging ride with good steep climbing over water bars, fast, descending over the same sort of thing, and general tight and open sweeping turns.

Cockpit: perfect fit.

The previous twitchy feeling it gone and replaced by telepathic handling. Great handling balance between stability, and a real ability to throw the bike around and have some fun (flickability for lack of a better word).

The front end now comes up nicely when needed. Not heavy feeling at all. The only place I notice the difference from the Lenz is in panic, "instant manual needed now" situations. If I can get the slightest pedal stroke in, or if I even have a second to prepare to manual, I can land in whatever attitude I want.

What does this little experiment tell me:

1. For whatever reason: I like little bikes. It was no fluke that I loved riding Jayem's 6-Pack so much, with its little 23.25" ETT. It is supposedly a size too small for me. My Cross Check commuter is supposedly two sizes too small for me. This El Capitan is supposedly 1 or two sizes too small for me. El Comandante is supposedly one size smaller than recommended and I love the ride of all these bikes, and have generally disliked all bikes I've ridden with an ETT longer than 24 inches. Most folks would say this is crazy talk for someone 6'1". Most folks are wrong.

I'm sort of wondering how the Lenz would ride I had gone with medium instead of the large.

2. Ride bikes as they were designed. Sherwood designed this as a 4" bike. I tried to make it into something it wasn't with the Curtlo front end and 5" rockers and fork. Don't bother, just trust the designer. This was a good lesson. Luckily I have come out of it about where I would have been if I had just bought an El Cap in the first place.

3. I now own three mountain bikes and one commuter that I freaking love to ride!!! How blessed is that! They each have their place and are incredibly good bikes for their class of bike. No need for any fundamental tweaking that I can find. Now to find the time to enjoy them.

As I final thought, I wonder if this experience is isolated to me, or if, in general, in 29" world, folks are making ETT's too long. The 29" wheel does not need it for stability. I wonder if a lot of folks out there would be happier on smaller front center bikes. Hard to say. I definitely know what I like at this time, and any future bike purchases will find me getting the shortest ETT that I can get my saddle to full height on.