single trail speed ride...

It was really a multi trail slow ride on a single speed. My first time taking the Karate Monkey off road with big tires and the correct gear ratio was totally cool. The ride was Saturday afternoon at Schaeffer, with amazing weather- high 60s sunny and dry!

A few observations:

29" wheels roll over roots, rocks etc. more easily than 26" wheels. On several occasions the physics? of the situation surprised me. I found myself cringing at what I was approaching, most often on uphill climbs, because my speed was so slow I though for sure that I would get stopped by the roots in the trail. The front wheel simply rolled over them- how cool!

Rigid bikes respond differently. I've been riding a full suspension bike (on trails) for at least 4 years. Before that I had a hard tail with front suspension. A fully rigid steel bike makes for a slightly jarring experience! Interestingly, the "point the bike downhill and don't touch the brakes" style of downhill doesn't work so well. This bike demanded some attention if I hoped to have control and not bounce off the trail. My arms, hands and shoulders were quite sore after the even, but I came away happy.

Despite the un-suspended ride the bike is smooth. Riding a singlespeed on well known trails generates an entirely new experience, well, not ENTIRELY but relatively new. I found myself off of the bike in several places, jogging up hills I would normally spin up. Technical sections are much more technical, but the pedaling is smoother, and the pace is different. I'll be back!