Diamondback marketing overlord Jon Kennedy gave me a call on Friday morning with some amazing news. My new DH bike had arrived! I've been giving feedback on the DH bike I've been riding for the last 6 months and have been working with Diamondback's development team to create the next prototype. The new bike might look similar to the current one, but that's about it. Every piece of metal has changed, the factory has changed, the geometry has changed, new cable routing, more tire clearance, different tube set, clear coated raw frame with team graphics, etc.
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| This is as much of a preview as you get. Check VitalMTB.com and Pinkbike.com in the coming weeks for more details! |
I rushed through building the bike and got it all dialed for the weekend. After a long day at the office, I loaded up Ruth's Beetle and headed east to Silver Mountain, in Kellogg Idaho again. There wasn't a race this weekend, but a friend was having a bachelor party that involved riding all day and taking over the bars at night. Ruth took the bus out earlier in the day to attend the bachelorette party. I managed to grab 2 hours of sleep at a rest stop before arriving at the hill to try my new bike. We loaded the gondola and set out for the top. Instantly I could feel the new geometry working wonders. The bike is a lot lower and actually steeper, which made it ride great. We raised the main pivot, which made it pedal better and the new internal cable routing was dead silent. I was loving the bike. The bachelor party rode numerous laps all day, which put a huge smile on my face. I can't wait for Mt. Hood again this weekend. Time for some redemption after my flat at the last round.
Sunday morning left me a little groggy from the previous night's festivities, but after having some coffee and the hangover helper at the local cafe, Ruth and I loaded up the Beetle and headed west again. Sunday was a special day for us, as it was exactly one year earlier that we were married. We didn't have much of a plan for the day other than to spend it together. It was a great day and I'm a lucky man.
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| For some strange reason that I can't figure out, this girl seems to like me! |
I was also looking forward to following the Mt St Anne World Cup race, but as luck would have it, my phone died and the phone charger wasn't working. I didn't find out who won until later in the evening. I swapped out Hannah for Bryceland in my fantasy team, which turned out to be a smart choice. Bryceland qualified 3rd and finished 2nd for his first world cup podium! Minnaar had an off day however, and crashed into 18th. Gwin once again showed it that this is his year and took the win. The young riders dominated this race. Not a single legacy rider was in the top 10!
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| The next generation. |
I started off monday with another new Diamondback bike. A few weeks ago, one of my coworkers was talking about getting a road bike. Somehow I got it stuck in my head that I should ride to work. I live 35 miles away from my office, so I was going to need something a little more efficient on the road than my Mission. After a quick phone call to Kennedy, I was loading a Diamondback Podium 6 road bike in the the yellow Beetle. I haven't ridden road bikes in a while, but growing up in North Dakota, road riding was pretty big. I missed the speed of the road bike and was excited to get back on one. After digging out some old lycra and a Dakota Cyclery jersey, I set out for a little 30 mile ride around Lake Sammamish this morning. I am probably the only person to run Shimano DX pedals on a 16lb road bike! The ride was great, and the weather today was perfect. I was a little jealous of everyone enjoying the lake and the smells of the grills warming up for the BBQ's later in the day.
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| My new asphalt ride. Passing roadies is fun. |
Hopefully everyone has a great 4th today and takes some time to remember why we celebrate this day! I also just finished the second half of the Mission project. It will auto post here at 12:01 AM Wednesday morning!
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| Politics aside, remember what this stands for and why it was written. Happy Birthday America! |
-KT
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