If I get hurt, its your fault. Expect my attorney to contact you at once (its the American way although I see Canadians are getting in on the act these days).
Anyway, it is you and your North Shore riding that is to blame. You, JimC, being one of the few people on MTBR who is older than me (your bio says you were born in 1912 which makes you older than my mother - want to get fixed up? ) can't seem to get it through your head that you are too old for this kind of thing.
Well, neither can I. Last time I tried some lift served riding, the results were less than optimal. That is a polite way of saying my riding "sucked" but I'm way to old to say anything "sucked." It would be like me calling someone "Dude." Weird. Obviously, if my riding was less than optimal, it must have been the bike. The bike was an FS with discs. Logically, this would lead me to believe that I could ride lift served (dare I say "Downhill?") better on a bike more suited to that type of thing.
Bingo! The answer is a DH Hardtail. Now, I will admit that my logic is often flawed but I have been thinking along these lines for some time now and last week, Daddy 2, a poster on the NJ forum, offered me his Santa Cruz Chameleon frame at a very good price. Hardly ever used. Sooooo, I convinced my wife that the FS frame was nearing the end of its useful life (I was fortunate that she was riding with me last year when the shock bolt bolted and also with me when the shock itself decided to die on the trail). Obviously a cosmic occurance that she be there when things went bad.
It is also somewhat cosmic that I convinced my wife while we were in Canada. I don't know why that is cosmic, but it was.
Saturday I brought the FS and the Chameleon to my LBS. "I have a surprise for you" I said to my favorite mechanic. He looks forward to my bikes to get him off the usual $200 hybrids and toy store Huffy's he normally works on. Pulling out the Chameleon frame, I told him of my plan. He smiled, he being young and also one to ride a hardtail freeride bike.
"So," I continued, "lets see what we can do." The plan is to use as many parts from the FS as possible. The fork will be a 5" Psylo SL, brakes Avid Mech discs, wheels, Rhyno Lites, tires, for the moment, Continenal 2.35, riser bar and other standard parts. A new seatpost was needed. I went for a Thomson in black to match the frame. An Easton Vice stem in 65mm was ordered too. If the front derailuer needs replacement, I said to go for Deore to keep the costs down.
In a week or so the bike will be ready. I will no longer even own an FS except for the naked and worn out frame. I will head to my local ski area and the Diablo Free Ride Park to try to ride like you, JimC.
I hope I do better on a bike like this than you did when you tried an XC hardtail. I seem to remember a story about that and a crash somewhere back.
Either thanks for the inspiration or "Damn You JimC!"
Time will tell. Oh, one more thing, if my attorney is not allowed to practice in BC, do you have one locally I can use to sue you?
Peace
REV
Anyway, it is you and your North Shore riding that is to blame. You, JimC, being one of the few people on MTBR who is older than me (your bio says you were born in 1912 which makes you older than my mother - want to get fixed up? ) can't seem to get it through your head that you are too old for this kind of thing.
Well, neither can I. Last time I tried some lift served riding, the results were less than optimal. That is a polite way of saying my riding "sucked" but I'm way to old to say anything "sucked." It would be like me calling someone "Dude." Weird. Obviously, if my riding was less than optimal, it must have been the bike. The bike was an FS with discs. Logically, this would lead me to believe that I could ride lift served (dare I say "Downhill?") better on a bike more suited to that type of thing.
Bingo! The answer is a DH Hardtail. Now, I will admit that my logic is often flawed but I have been thinking along these lines for some time now and last week, Daddy 2, a poster on the NJ forum, offered me his Santa Cruz Chameleon frame at a very good price. Hardly ever used. Sooooo, I convinced my wife that the FS frame was nearing the end of its useful life (I was fortunate that she was riding with me last year when the shock bolt bolted and also with me when the shock itself decided to die on the trail). Obviously a cosmic occurance that she be there when things went bad.
It is also somewhat cosmic that I convinced my wife while we were in Canada. I don't know why that is cosmic, but it was.
Saturday I brought the FS and the Chameleon to my LBS. "I have a surprise for you" I said to my favorite mechanic. He looks forward to my bikes to get him off the usual $200 hybrids and toy store Huffy's he normally works on. Pulling out the Chameleon frame, I told him of my plan. He smiled, he being young and also one to ride a hardtail freeride bike.
"So," I continued, "lets see what we can do." The plan is to use as many parts from the FS as possible. The fork will be a 5" Psylo SL, brakes Avid Mech discs, wheels, Rhyno Lites, tires, for the moment, Continenal 2.35, riser bar and other standard parts. A new seatpost was needed. I went for a Thomson in black to match the frame. An Easton Vice stem in 65mm was ordered too. If the front derailuer needs replacement, I said to go for Deore to keep the costs down.
In a week or so the bike will be ready. I will no longer even own an FS except for the naked and worn out frame. I will head to my local ski area and the Diablo Free Ride Park to try to ride like you, JimC.
I hope I do better on a bike like this than you did when you tried an XC hardtail. I seem to remember a story about that and a crash somewhere back.
Either thanks for the inspiration or "Damn You JimC!"
Time will tell. Oh, one more thing, if my attorney is not allowed to practice in BC, do you have one locally I can use to sue you?
Peace
REV