Hi Tim thanks for asking. I'd gladly ride with you, although being on the Focus Thron, you would definitely have to wait for me.
I have to eek out as much battery as I can from the compromise BH.
The Focus Thron would be an excellent choice of bike. You would also be potentially putting other e-mtb dealers to shame by endorsing a product that you sell. With the positive reaction that I once again received today, you might even come away with some potential sales in the bag.
At both events that I have completed, amongst the general interest, two separate riders stated that they are currently watching youtube clips and are looking at sites, to work out what is out there. I'd liked to have made time to have talk things through with them, but I wanted to stay ahead of a group of other riders.
My next Wiggle event is only in a few weeks time, 17th May. I was kind of hoping to rest my knees, but I guess that I'll now just have to carry on getting out every other evening training again.
The ride went kind of good and bad.
The bad being that I inadvertently did the epic route of 32miles rather than the planned shorter route of I think 21miles. This was bad as the mud had been horrendous and there wasn't a hope in hell of me ever getting to the end of the ride with any battery power left. Sure enough I didn't!
The riding without a battery was very tough, but my issue was with my knees. On some sections pretty much everyone had to walk, and my knees don't like walking. I also felt every gear change on the drive home.
Anyway, the event itself was superb, and I'm really starting to make good headway in relation to speed on rough down hill sections, and was finding myself held up a fair bit.
What did make me laugh was that towards the end of the ride I had a lovely carrot on a stick incentive to keep moving. I ended up following and talking to a lycra glad girl who had slowed to wait for a friend (who never caught up)
She was saying that she was taking the event easy as she had an MTB race to take part in tomorrow. Talk about making feel bad, I was fooked and couldn't try any harder!!!!
Many sections people were actually pushing their bikes down hill, as the mud was simply too thickly caked onto the bikes. The puddles were also massive and after watching one lad go through one which went almost half way up the wheels, I suggested to another rider that came along, that he tried a different side. I had to control my laughter as first the front wheel, then back wheel disappeared! I carried my bike across.
The course took in very varied terrain including mud, rocks, roots, flint, chalk, grass and sand.
The route.
This stream bed was the best bit of the course for me. It took loads of concentration, but was really fast and fun to ride.
This hill wasn't that steep, but everything before it had been, and pretty much everyone walked it, including me with no battery!
Squared off muddy tyres. Note the new mudguard. The crap Topeak has gone into the bin.
The finish.
And probably the muddiest e-mtb to date.
I could hardly change gear. The new chain doesn't look great either.
The brakes suffered badly, I think that I probably almost got through a set of pads today. I did managed to have a couple of OH S**T moments in relation to descending too fast, and then having to turn at the bottom. I wasn't the only one to do this though.
And of course me...
