Hey I hope everyone had a great Sunday. My butt is sore after 72 miles but I had a good ride even if it was 42 degrees when we started and I was wearing way too many clothes.

I am concerned about the shocks. Except for some motorcycle experience I'm clueless about bicycle shocks. I know I should look for leaking fluids on the shocks but what else should I look for to determine condition? Should I try to pump the shock up with air to see what kind of pressure it will hold? Will rebound be limited by preload on one of these bikes? Can you rebuild these shocks if need be? Can you change the weight oil in them?

And yes I have looked at some hardtails. There are some very cool Gary Fisher 29's that seem like good bikes. But my buds who run Oleta and other parks around here tell me that a FS is absolutely required as we have roots here that you otherwise cannot take at any speed. They're chomping at the bit to leave me in their dust so I've got to do something soon before it's hurricane season again.

I've checked and the bike is still for sale so the owner is hopefully ready to just about give it away. Apparently hardly anyone has even come by to look at it. I'll keep you posted and send some photos if I buy it.

Thanks again for your help.