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mindless - Me
mindless's Blog
First ride: Ladies First
Posted by mindless on March 19, 2009

So, I took Ladies First for her first ride. Went to Blue Mountain with Adam and my friend Charlie. Beautiful day, awesome trails, sweet bike.

A couple differences between my old D&S and this new Vertex ladies frame: TT is a bit shorter on the new frame, as well as the chainstays. BB height is also slightly lower.

You guys will be happy to hear that I had a couple pretty sweet spills. I haven’t gone down in a while. I figured out that the combination of the shorter TT (one of the reasons I got the frame) and the shorter chainstays makes for a much shorter wheelbase. So, turning as I normally would on my D&S is actually oversteering on the new frame. Oops. But, this thing turns on a dime! Just gotta get used to it.

The lower BB height I didn’t discover until out on the trail, and was suddenly hitting rocks with my pedals that I shouldn’t have been hitting. Slightly annoying, but just something to get used to. I’ll probably be replacing pedals more often!

Another new thing with this build is the double crankset. I replaced the triple rings with 24-36 double rings and a bash guard. (I put the first marks on the guard at Blue!) If anyone’s been thinking about trying a double setup, I highly recommend it! I could really feel the difference. I used every gear combination over the course of the day, and didn’t feel the need for anything more. No wasted gears, and no missing gears. Perfect. And, those of you who’ve been to Blue know that it’s not exactly flat. Even without a tiny granny or a large big ring, I could easily handle the entire terrain of the mountain.

I also got the new SLX compact FD for mountain doubles. Works great! And, it fits very snugly against the bash guard. Using a triple, you usually have to mount it up high, and there’s interference when crossing the chain. Not so with the compact FD. Great stuff!

Besides the slight annoyance of the lower BB (which isn’t horrible since it lowers my center of gravity), I am one happy little rider!

Comments
Dirt_Dad - Oktoberfest Riding
Risers definitely make a difference. Flat bars are good for the road but what a difference risers make!
Left by Dirt_Dad on March 20, 2009
mindless - Me
I haven't used risers in the mountains. guess i'm a holdout.
Left by mindless on March 19, 2009
Adam
Nothing too steep at Blue Mtn... that trail was exactly how I like it. I was talking more generally about some of the terrain I've been riding recently with friends. Just wanted your thoughts on a riser bar seeing as almost everyone has switched to them... Made all the difference in my riding a couple years ago when I first put one on.
Left by Adam on March 19, 2009
mindless - Me
good question. We didn't do a whole lot of bombing downhill that day, though. I was definitely sitting up more than on the D&S. I'd probably be sitting up too much if I put a riser on.
Left by mindless on March 19, 2009
Adam
How do you like using a flat bar on that setup? My new bike is considerably shorter (but a taller BB) than my old hardtail and I have very precise control when it comes to technical ascents (turns on a dime, like you mention)... but I wasn't in the best position to descend (twitchy going downhills) -- this with a 15mm riser bar. It's a race geometry (not so much all mountain), so I can't have it both ways, but i did just put on a 30mm riser and I'm feeling more confident going over the steep stuff.
Left by Adam on March 19, 2009