Most of the time, I like to use as little technology as possible, but important factors I consider are:
- Am I meeting a bunch of "mountain bikers" for some hard charging? If so, I usually take my Ritchey NiTi mtn bike (the first mtn bike I've ever owned with a suspension fork, and I got it a year ago. But if I know the trails well and they are not all rocky, I'll take a "fully rigid" bike just to mess with people's minds). - Is the ride mainly road or mainly dirt? - How rocky or muddy or "dangerous" is the route? - How dirty or "thrashed" will the bike get? - How "beat up" am I willing to feel after the ride? - Which bike will give the most rewarding experience, overall? As I wrote in my article, there is a time and a place for a "real mountain bike." I don't enter 24 hour races or Iditasports with a bike which will put me at a competitive disadvantage. Seven years ago I spent a week riding at Moab and in Canyonlands National Park, "mountain bike territory," to be sure. I rode my Rivendell All-Rounder with 26x1.9" knobbies. Blog report here: http://www.xo-1.org/2008/04/rough-riding-on-slickrock-trail-in-moab.html Full slideshow with 50 pix here: http://www.adventurecorps.com/chronicles/2003/2003moabmaze/index.html I'm heading out to that area again soon and have not yet decided which bike I will ride. My Roadeo? The All-Rounder (which has a new JB paint job)? The Ritchey NiTi? I'll decide as I get closer, but am leaning towards the All-Rounder. - Chris Kostman La Jolla, CA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
