DIALED IN!

As I mentioned in last week's post, my maiden voyage on my new Marin was good, but less than spectacular. I attributed most of the issues to my lack of experience riding a full suspension bike and made the most of the ride last week at Madrone.

During the week, I researched the Marzocchi front fork and Fox rear suspension shock online to see if I was missing something. Indeed I did overlook a couple of tuning elements, so I played with the adjustments some more. I also bought a wireless bike computer at Performance Bikes, so I could see just how far and fast I ride.

After installing the computer, I found that I couldn't get it to work based on the manufacturer's instructions. My neighbor saw me fiddling with it and suggested that I move the receiver on the front fork closer than the manufacturer's instructions. He said he had had similar issues with his and that seemed to fix it.

Sure enough, I moved the receiver closer to the magnet on the spoke and VIOLA! It worked! Thank God for Daniel, as this was the second computer I had that I couldn't get to work. Now, I will try the same thing on my old one and install it on my Marin hardtail for a backup ride.

I took my new Marin out to McAllister Park Saturday morning to try and dial in the suspension. Man, what a difference! I modified my position on the bike during climbs, by moving even further up on the seat, towards the handlebar. It helped tremendously, as my front wheel did not lift off the trail as it had at Madrone last week. The rear suspension was like BUTTER - SMOOTH.

This morning, I went to OP Schnabel to put the bike though it's paces on a wider variety of trails. Although it was overcast, I decided to try my luck with the weather. I took my usual warm up ride through the front trails by Bandera Road, and the bike performed like a champ.

Then, I headed to the bottom of Leon Creek, to find some downhills, rock gardens, and the roller coaster hills north of the golf course. My Marin ate them all up and asked for more. Unfortunately, after two hours and 10 miles of riding, my legs were tired. Obviously I will need to lose more weight and improve my conditioning even more to really stretch the limits of this bike.

I received several complements about the fire red paint job, and the Quad Link suspension. I wound up getting it full of mud, riding through the Leon Creek bed. I was able to shake most of it off during my ride back to the truck, but I couldn't get all of it off. Later, I washed the bike because I was afraid of the clay mud sticking to the components and possibly damaging them.

Yesterday I rode 7 miles at Mc Allister, having hit a top speed of 23 miles an hour on the levee downhill. Today I rode 10 miles, averaging about 5 miles per hour during my ride. (That includes taking a couple of breaks to rest and eat a Gu packet, so in reality, I probably averaged about 7 or 8 miles an hour on the trail.)

We have rain in the forecast all week, so I'm not sure what shape any of the local trails will be in next weekend. I am itching to try the Cibolo Creek trail along the creekbed, but Mel doesn't want me going there unless I get a GPS unit for the bike. Hopkins, my usual riding buddy, hasn't been able to ride for a couple of weeks, so I've been going solo.

Regardless of where I ride next week, I am sure my new Marin will be up to the task.