monkeyphat

the newest of the dark knights

the parallels are eerily similar. i was stale. uninspired. the trails were all looking the same to me back in the day when i took a chance on an overly built steel frame with a wheel size unfamiliar to most. i remember you only had four or five tire options at the time. i built it up, including some prototype wheels my employer was about to start manufacturing at the time, threw on some dickies and headed out to one of my local spots on a sunny, fall day and took a ride that changed my outlook on mountain biking forever. now, years later, the 29 inch wheel is everywhere including on the top step of the world cup racing. it's all changed so fast, all of it for the good. 

fast forward a number of years. i saw curiaks ti snow bike at interbike a few years back and read his blog about doing the iditatour in alaska on two wheels. i thought the bike to be a bit niche, reserved as an option for only select geographical residents, and nothing more. then, two years ago, i had custody of a southern oregon prototype with a 29 inch rear wheel and a front end sporting a truss fork and large, phat snow tire. chasing the builder through the hills around ashland i was stunned at how the bike performed on dirt, and i was able to see the builder do some unreal things on his steed that only comes with confidence and time spent in the set up. still, though, impractical and expensive.

now september of this year rolls around. stale. uninspired. recovering from wasatch and shredded achilles. the leaves were changing and an opportunity came to me via the same company whoring out overbuilt steel bikes that brokered my last ride epiphany several years ago. 4 or 5 tire options only. sunny, fall day. it was by coincidence that those same dickies just happened to be chosen for the pedal and three hours later my outlook on covering trails on two wheels has been altered again, another evolution in the revolution

the details of how and why are my own. i won't put any expectations or words in your mouth. i know what i was able to do differently than on my other bikes. you'll find it stacked with shortcomings if your into lycra, carbon fiber and power meters. the early snow fall we had showed me why this bike was designed, and the rainy melt off showed me how versatile this toy can be when you are open for discovery. most of all, the stoke face and fun was back. motivation to get out and try to see what it couldn't do bridged the gap between being able to run trails and buckling down to focus on my next adventure. now, my recovery days will have a little different look to them this winter. any obstacles in place will be mental, because the physical ones this puppy can ride over. cheers.

 **late edit: 11/10/2012 first time i've ever been here in the winter. won't be the last.**

11/10/2012 fresh tracks