the decision has been madetime to focus on the karate monkey
rode the six year old specialized fsr dual suspension bike to work today
the bike was far from familiar
so unfamiliar that I went over the handlebars when a bar end grabbed an obstacle in a narrow passage
on a quick transition from the street to the sidewalk the bike felt good going over the curb
I was not sure if I would fit between the construction barrier and the street post
landing on the sidewalk confirmed that the passage was too narrow
it was foolish for me to ride with blind confidence on an unfamilar bike
during lunch I ran into cargo mike and his cargo bike
I told mike about my purchase, my parts replacements, and my need for a mechanic's stamp of approval
mike invited me to stop by his mechanic's job at revolutions bicycles after work so he could throw the machine in the stand
we went our separate ways
me to my job and mike to his
I watched and mike spun that seemingly awkward trailer with such comfort the wrong way on a one way street
I arrived at revolutions a minute or two before mike
this gave me time to catch up with super dave
I have know super dave forever so there is always plenty to catch up on
in between customer repairs mike worked on the new bike for my varried bicycle quiver
attention to the skipping gears, straightened the rear wheel, and then a glance at the shock
things took a few minutes longer than anticipated
which got me home a few minutes late
a call to lisa gave her warning but I was still later than expected
partially because I needed to ride the bike a bit
the bike responded well
the fit was good
the gears were not skipping
the shocks front and rear seemed to be working as they should
the brakes were dead on
the bike did not quite feel right
the positioning was unfamiliar
a good fit but an unfamiliar fit
I cut through some urban paths
the bike cornered well and seemed to hold a good line
the shock seemed to take up the cushion but there was no real obstacle to test the potential
the bike was getting good marks
then pedals kissed a rock
it may have been my section nature to get out of the saddle to go through a patch of rocks
dual suspension has a different set of balance
my riding style is more fashioned towards the riding style of the single speed... even when on gears
the short ride confirmed my aprehension
it would be a hasty decision to swap bikes unneccesarily a few days before the race
if I had no bike option this would be a fantastic bike option
but the monkey is working fine and well the monkey is far closer to my second nature
yes the karate monkey is a beast
but a familiar beast
it is best for me to stick with what is familiar
tonight I will put the monkey in the stand after the kids go to bed
my neighbor chris gave me some old v-brakes to replace my knobby grabbing cane creek quasi-u-brakes
then after that I will be back on the monkey and make the final prep and the final approach to the shenandoah mountain 100