BillK

Here's what followed me home today...

A 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29! I guess I no longer have an excuse for not riding during the cold/wet winter!

CB HI

Honey, it just followed me home, honest. Can I keep it, can I keep it?

Tom Bombadil

What are your plans for that beast?

Digital Gee

Not too soon to start lookin' for a fixie! Just sayin'

Louis

No sweat...That excuse seems to be working for me.

Nice bike and congratulations. Enjoy.

JanMM

Not wanting to get your new bike wet/dirty is a valid excuse. If it's merely cold, you're on your own.

George

I guess there is no recession at the bike shops, good looking ride.

NOS88

Congrats on the new ride. I'm not sure what it is, but as I look at your new steed, it seems to have very big wheels in terms of the visual proportions I'm used to seeing. Is it me of does it look this way to others too? Kind of looks like you could ride over darn near anything.

bjjoondo 

You should have used the old, "But Honey, it matches my sunglasses perfectly" routine! I can hear the local trails calling out to you, the bike will be "kick'in at the garage door", ENJOY!

leob1

It's a 29'er, that's a mountain bike with 700c wheels instead of the 26 inch wheels on a normal MTB.

She does look like a honey though, enjoy the ride.

Red Rider

Nice!

Ride report?

cyclezen

nice one, bill. I was considerin a 29er during my recent hemmin and hawwin on what I should get as a next mtb. I was just too intrigued by the thought of foolin with full suspension, so that's what i went for.
But iff'n I go back to a hardtail, that Stumpie in a 29er has got to be one good example.
Let us know how you like it.

BluesDawg

Don't get out much do you, NOS88? Missed out on the whole 29er craze?

NOS88

Truth be known, never had much interest or paid much attention to any non-road bike. For me off road means hiking. I tried off road biking for a season or two and couldn't figure out the attraction. I felt a bit like I was guilty of doing nasty things to mother nature. I suspect this comes from my early childhood training of being in the woods and leaving as little or no evidence that I was there. I guess some might suggest I'm a roadie elitist.

cyclezen

for the longest time I was of that same mind. I still feel a little guilty when I ride in some places.
But, there are plenty of places where a mtb is quite comfortable and OK - like larger trails and fire, maintenance or loggin roads.
The other side is leaving as small a footprint as possible. Given riding on-trail so as to mitigate impact and with some consideration other users, mtb-ing can be compatible. Always thank others when they pass and give you equal room to pass as well. A smile goes a long way. And sometimes just stopping and letting them pass before they even get a chance to think about it, works great.
All means I get to see more and enjoy the trip/ride.
Thankfully there's always a road ride when I want to just get buried in the 'effort'. A nice complement.

I used to do quite abit of off-road on local stuff when the kids were really young. They would Hoot and Hollar on every bump, eyebrow and whoop. Can't remember havin a more fun time than when trapsin around with the munchkins...
I'm really stoked to have re-found the fun of any bit of dirt!
Now iff'n I can control my bike spending habits!

BluesDawg

I don't think you'll find a more environmentally conscious group of people than the very active mountain biking community. I stick to dirt roads or approved trails where it is strongly enforced that riders stay on the marked trail and stay off the trails altogether when weather or other factors call for protecting the trail from damage. A big part of riding offroad is putting in time building and maintaining trails.

Check out the atmosphere at offroad organizations like SORBA (Southern Offroad Biking Association) or IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association).

sknhgy 

My LBS owner said his business is up compared to this time last year.

BillK

Tom,

I've owned two road bikes (an '03 Marin Portofino lost to a crash and an '06 Specialized Roubaix still in great shape) since returning to biking. Unfortunately, skinny 25mm tires just don't seem to have the traction I'd like when the weather turns wet and cold here in D.C. (Nov - Feb). So I decided to eliminate the excuse and find a stead I could ride rain, snow or shine. There's a path through the woods right behind my house and I think the 29 inch tires are just what I need to tackle it.

But don't worry, I still plan to put the Roubaix to good use as the weather warms up!

BillK

Oh DG, if you only knew...

I have an old Nishki frame I've been slowly (read VERY slowly) building up as a fixie. The frame's been stripped and powdercoated. Now if I can just finish lacing the wheels!

BillK

NOS88,

That's exactly why I chose the 29" wheels...well, that and my big frame.

BillK

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. Work has kept me late into the evening this week, but I did manage to mount my Crank Brothers Candy C pedals and a water bottle cage on my new stead. I hope to get out this weekend come heck or high water. A ride report will follow.

BillK

As a follow-up to DG's comment. According to my LBS guru, one nice "feature" of this bike is a derailleur hanger that adjusts horizontally, perfect for a low cost fixie conversion.

cranky old dude

Congrats on the new ride!!