An Inch Xtra = A Good Ride

After Farqui showed me how to built up my new rig, I was eager to see if it performed as well it looked. So after work, last Friday, I thought I'd quickly whiz around the block to check it out. After a few turns I was pleased to feel that my MotoLite rode as good if not better than the demo which convinced me this Titus was the bike for me. Before I knew, it the "block" had gotten much bigger :p Farqui called as I was halfway around the local lake and he was very surprised to hear that the gears were working beautifully - I think he's finally mastered my low-normal, "flippy" shifters, bless ;) Transferring familiar components over from my last bike helped to reduce some of the learning curve but I've still to get to know her.

We had a free morning on Saturday which we decided to spend over at Rowney Warren aka Chicksand's. I'd only ridden there once but quite like the gentle trails so thought it'd be a good venue for our first ride off road. After a new hundred metres Farqui soon set to tweaking the shox's; the front was obviously too hard and the back apparently too soft. With the shock pump holstered, the ride and balance now felt much better over the damp, slippery roots.

I didn't appreciate the mud :o and found some of the slippery sections a bit unnerving. I don't know if this was due to the lighter wheels/tyres from my Trek compared to the larger demo Conti's or simply due to the moisture.

Overall, I'm mighty impressed with my new ride and found that;

• It's still quite sprightly compared to my ol'FuelEX - which was a major concern
  
• The ride is lovely and plush
• It feels right - an extra inch or two extra stretch really has made the world of difference
• The Race Lite wheels / Bontrager ACX tyres combo are definitely lighter and easier to get up to speed than the heavy hoops / boots on the demo

What's next ?

• The bars are too high - the steerer is long and the Bonty stem has a high rise
• Shock settings need refining - we're still conservative on the rebound and compression
• Pro Pedal on the RP23 is new to me and will needs some familiarisation
• I want to try my new light!
  

Titus MotoLite build

After a week closely monitoring the online tracking, we finally received Chipmunk's package from the Red Barn. As much as I wanted to rip open the box myself, I let the dear lady explore the contents and her :D was a picture.

The teeny small ML frame is gorgeous, well engineered with some neat, practical touches such as a forward facing seat clamp slot. The mega bling, pink Chris King headset looks awesome set into the grey anodised frame. We'd already planned to transfer the majority of the components from her Trek but the fork would be too short and the seat post the wrong size for the new rig, so a few tasty xtra's were included in the shipment.

Having stripped down her Trek the day before, we quickly set about building up her new ride. All the typical initial steps went well, seat post in, clamp to work stand, test fit fork/stem/spacers, chop down steerer, mount fork/stem/bars, route brakes, fit saddle, etc.

Unfortunately, assembling the drive train brought the build to an abrupt halt as we couldn't mount the rear mech! It seems that the boozy boys in MT had neglected to include a hanger :rolleyes Half an hour of phone calls to various dealers within the UK came up with none in stock and just one shop willing to part with a hanger from one of their display models. Unfortunately this was located on the south coast, some 2.5hrs away which is time we couldn't spare being part way through renovating a bathroom :-( A suitable chastised Chad is embarrassed :blush and sending a hanger over. Meanwhile we've ordered one from Fat Tread Bikes which should arrive in a couple of days. Then the build can continue...

You'll find more pic's here and we'll upload a few more once it's daylight, the rain stops and we can get outside.

ML ordered

The guys over at the Red Barn confirm that Chipmunk's new ride is on route. Here's a traditional "tease" pic from MT, ain't that some schweet bling.

We'll be tracking the rig for the next few days, with the anxiety sure to build towards the end of the wk...

Some may ask "but what is it ?" - tsk, do keep up ;)

Chipmunk Demo's a Moto Lite

This morning Chipmunk and I whiz'd down to Leith Hill (nr Dorking) and snag'd a Titus Moto Lite demo from Nirvana Cycles in Westcott. On paper this small rig has a lower stand over and couple of extra inches in the top tube, when compared to her too compact FuelEX. So in theory it should help address her toe/wheel overlap (Chippy doesn't use spd's and the arch of her foot sits on the pedal) and help tame the Fuel's racey handling.

After a quick pressure check we set out off onto the heath and initially the ride felt a little too "bobby" but a quick flick of the RP3 tightened the ride up nicely for the asphalt climb. Venturing off road I was surprised to find the lass wafting effortlessly over a loose rocky, leaf littered trail that she'd have found a bit of a handful on her Trek. Quickly adapting to the comfortable and compliant ride, Chippy obviously began to enjoy the trail with her confidence visibly improving turn after turn.

After a brief explore at the Leith Hill tower we began our journey back on a mostly DH trail of roots, rocks, sand and mud. Much to our combined surprise she easily cleared a good 12" rooty drop without any hesitation.

The demo rig was well spec'd with some demon Magura anchors, my beloved SRAM shifters which Chippy kinda adapted to along with a Fox RLC 130 which appeared to be very plush. No pins and needles or sore buttocks were reported after the ride - which apparently came all too soon as evident by her numerous loops around the car park and having to pick her up on route back to the shop.

So at long last we appear to be have located a rig that'll suit my gal, lets see if our pal Chaybo can supply us with another import bargain ;)

Nirvana Cycles passed on a map with what looks like an interesting couple of loops in the area and if our little explore is typical of the trails, then I feel that a return visit won't be long in the wait...