Ready for Snowshoe!

I called Snowshoe on opening day and asked what make/model bikes they'd rent a 6'5" guy. I went online and got the geometry of that bike and realized that I wanted something bigger than that. So I found a couple of Specialized BigHit's for sale locally. Bought them both and took the best parts of each to build a Snowshoe bike for me.

I started with thse two bikes:

2003 Large BigHit DH	2004 Medium BigHit

and created this:

Here are the specs:

• 2003 Specialized BigHit - Large
• Frame has four-position adjustable shock mount offering 6.8 or 8.1 inches of plush FSR travel
• Stock Fox Vanilla rear shock (8.75x2.75)
• 2003 Marzocchi Monster T (mint condition)
• SRAM X0 rear derailleur
• SRAM X7 rear shifter
• Stock Hayes Nine brakes and 203 rotors front and rear
• Custom wheelset - Hadley hubs and Sun Intense Mag30 rims
• Truvativ ISIS Gigapipe 4 bearing DH, 73mm shell, 118mm spindle, E-Type bottom bracket
• Truvativ Holzfeller 7050, ISIS spline, 7050 alloy, 170mm cranks
• e.13 SRS chainguide with 38t chainring and bashguard

Now I'm ready for Snowshoe in July!

Yeti Spotting

A Yeti has been spotted in my neighborhood. Here's a photo of it:



It's a 2006 Yeti 575 that now replaces the Morewood Shova LT. The Yeti has 5.75" of rear travel and currently has 130mm up front. Once built up, it weighed in at 30.5 lbs. The Shova ran around 37.5 lbs. That'll be a noticable difference on the trails!

FedEx delivered it today. Here's what it looked like right out of the box:



I noticed some frame and wheel damage. The wheel damage and downtube damage was almost certainly caused during shipping. The headtube was likely there before I bought it.



I hope to take it out for it's first ride tomorrow!

Goodbye Dear Friend

After six months of bonding, it is with much regret that I part with the 2007 Morewood Shova LT. I'm 6'5" and it's just too small to use as an all-mountain (AM) bike for me.

Here's the last photo of it before it was dismantled:



And here's the last photo of it in my possession:



It has already moved on to a new home and I've cast my eyes to researching two used bikes to replace this one.

Totally Awesome Freeride God

I've been a mountain biker for the last 15 years and a roadie for the last eight. I've worn tight Lycra shorts and tight jerseys for most of that time. When I went to Moab earlier this year, I found that I was the only person in the entire state of Utah wearing Lycra. As long as I didn't hang out in the bike shops too much, it wasn't a problem. When I got home from Moab I had learned to be more aware of what the locals wear.

I remembered this when it was time to pack for my first biking trip to Snowshoe, WV. I wasn't sure how much of a problem it would be to wear Lycra, but I was pretty sure the locals in rural West Virginia would not be wearing tight cycling garb. I started having nightmares of being dropped by my riding buddies, found by some locals, and being forced to reenact scenes from Deliverance. Out came the credit card and I soon had a new biking outfit. By the time I got to Snowshoe I was sporting baggy shorts and a motocross jersey, and seemed to fit in just fine.

While I was there, I learned that freeriding/downhilling is best done with platform pedals (not clipless pedals, which I had). I also learned that a 6'5" guy doesn't fit well on the vanilla rental bikes. After returning home, I purchased a new bike (with platform pedals), and I am now trying to get used to riding unclipped. Of course flat pedals don't work with hard-bottomed cycling shoes, so new shoes were ordered. Not just any new shoes...skate shoes! Yes I'm 34 years old and I ride my freeride bike in baggy shorts, motocross jerseys, and skate shoes (with skulls on them, no less).

As much of a transition as this has been for me to get used to, I'm learning that it's a much harder transition for the Lycra-clad guys I ride with on my local trails. This last fact was brought to light during my ride this weekend. After the initial laughter subsided and the jokes about the "High School kid I robbed on the way to the ride" were finished, I thought the worst was behind me. But that's when the subtle digs started; the sly comments about getting back home before curfew, or referring to me as 'kid' at every opportunity.

Honestly, it doesn't really bug me. I understand that it's all part of the growing pains that my riding buddies are going through as I morph into a totally awesome freeriding god!

Shova at Harris Lake

My bff Pat and I hit Harris Lake trails today. It's mostly tight single track - not exactly the place to show off what the Shova can do, but we did find a small dropoff to play on.


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New Bike - Morewood Shova LT

So here it is. It's almost complete. As it stands now, it's right at 37 lbs. It'll be my (heavy) XC bike as well as my Snowshoe (lite Freeride) bike.

• 2007 Morewood Shova LT (Large with 7.6" travel)
• 2007 Marzocchi 66 SL1 ATA (140mm - 180mm travel)
• Avid Juicy Sevens with 200mm rotors front and rear
• Titec El Norte Bent Prolite seatpost
• Azonic Outlaw wheels (purchased, but not installed yet)
• WTB Velociraptors 26"x2.1 front and rear (purchased, but not installed yet)

No one would claim that it's a pure XC bike, but with the El Norte Bent seat post, a 100mm stem, and 2.1 tires, I can get enough room in the cockpit to make it work for XC. When it's time to go to Snowshoe, I'll put on a Thompson straight seatpost, a 70mm stem, some 2.5 dual-ply tires, and I'll be good to go.

Now I just need some ride time...

New Bike - Trek Session 7

I found a (tall) guy selling a really nice Trek Session 7 relatively close by. It has some upgraded parts, which will move over nicely when I buy my final frame. Although I know I'm not going to ride the Trek long (I want something lighter), it is bombproof and will hold up to my weight and size very well.

It weighed in at 44 lbs. when I bought it. I got it down to 41 lbs by putting some light XC tires on it. I made some more minor part swaps and it's now sitting at 40 lbs. even.

Oh yea, I bought a sweet fork for it, too. Marzocchi 66 SL1 ATA. Very nice. I can't wait until it's broken in a bit.