After a local Boxing day ride and a few comments from those I was out with (i.e. I'd ride better on a modern bike) I thought there may be something in it and I'd give it a go. I can now report back......
I was loaned, for as long as I wanted, a modern steel hardtail with some Fox forks. I built it with discs, modern tyres, short stem, riser bars. I then went out on the local trails to try to get a comparison. It felt much more upright and pretty comfortable on the flat in a pootling kind of way. Downhill did give me a bit more confidence, but only a bit. Uphill was frustrating though, I just couldn't go as quickly as I was accustomed to. I gave it a few rides as getting used to a new set up can take a while. Interestingly I was taking roughly as long as on my other bikes to ride the route although overall speed wasn't the point.
But ultimately it wasn't for me and here's why:
- I am hopeless downhill. Setting a bike up differently made me feel a bit more secure but I'll never be Sam Hill.
- the new bike made riding uphill much less enjoyable for me and that's the bit I usually enjoy most.
- so I have accepted that although I can learn new skills and improve, I'm kind of happy with being the sort of rider I am and will try to play to my strengths and neutralise my weaknesses. I'm a high poster, deal with it!
- returning to a bike with a flat 150mm stem was like putting on an old pair of slippers!
Still, it was fun to try out a different bike and I really appreciated the loan. It has made me more relaxed and less uptight about my riding which I guess will make me better on the trails.
Riding on in a blissful time capsule
Ed
I was loaned, for as long as I wanted, a modern steel hardtail with some Fox forks. I built it with discs, modern tyres, short stem, riser bars. I then went out on the local trails to try to get a comparison. It felt much more upright and pretty comfortable on the flat in a pootling kind of way. Downhill did give me a bit more confidence, but only a bit. Uphill was frustrating though, I just couldn't go as quickly as I was accustomed to. I gave it a few rides as getting used to a new set up can take a while. Interestingly I was taking roughly as long as on my other bikes to ride the route although overall speed wasn't the point.
But ultimately it wasn't for me and here's why:
- I am hopeless downhill. Setting a bike up differently made me feel a bit more secure but I'll never be Sam Hill.
- the new bike made riding uphill much less enjoyable for me and that's the bit I usually enjoy most.
- so I have accepted that although I can learn new skills and improve, I'm kind of happy with being the sort of rider I am and will try to play to my strengths and neutralise my weaknesses. I'm a high poster, deal with it!
- returning to a bike with a flat 150mm stem was like putting on an old pair of slippers!
Still, it was fun to try out a different bike and I really appreciated the loan. It has made me more relaxed and less uptight about my riding which I guess will make me better on the trails.
Riding on in a blissful time capsule
Ed