As I mentioned two posts ago, I won the grand prize at the Maryland Bike to Work day, a brand new 2010 Trek 3500. I was ecstatic. I could barely get out more than a "Thank you!" for the 10 minutes after I won. I road over there on my lunch break to check it out. The Trek 3500 is an entry level bike, retailing for about $350. While it is a great bike, I have had my eyes set on a Cannondale F9 for awhile now. My buddy has one and he let me ride it for a bit. I loved it. While it is still an entry level bike, it is a great trail bike. I'll give a little review of it shortly...
So I was able to get a store credit for the Trek 3500 and only had to pay the $90 difference for the Cannondale F9. I paid, thanked them again, and drove home. I tossed off my work clothes and headed out to Kinder Farms Park... a place I have ridden many many time before on my road bike. A coworker said there are some awesome trails back there for mountain biking... I had my doubts. I hadn't seen anything of that sort on my road bike... man was I wrong.
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| From May 26 |
And here is a close up of the bike...
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| From May 26 |
I love it.
Anyways, you may recognize that photo... I took a similar one last year when I first went there on the road bike. So I took off down the paved road and before long I was in Kinder Farms. Still having my doubts about mountain bike trails. It wasn't long before I spotted an opening off the side of the pavement and off I went.
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| From May 26 |
Soon this grassy trail turned into dirt...
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| From May 26 |
Which then opened up to be a beautiful glade.
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| From May 26 |
I was surprised to see a lake nearby with a small "bridge" going over some marshland. Hell, I have a mountain bike, lets do this!
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| From May 26 |
After riding through some bamboo, I came across another glade on the other side of the lake.
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With beautiful tree coverage.
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A few more side trails led me out to a field overlooking a pitch (as most of you call it)
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| From May 26 |
And in an attempt to pull a CoastKid profile picture, I lifted my awesome new ride up in all its glory.
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| From May 26 |
I rode some more trails then headed home. Gotta start dinner soon anyway. So, how do I like the Cannondale F9?
It is everything I could want. Assuming my scale is calibrated right, the bike weighs exactly 29 pounds. The tires are "slick" enough to ride on the road without losing much efficiency (I was going nearly the same speed on pavement as my road bike). I didn't feel any of the roots I hopped over and the overall experience was great, albeit different.
I do have to get used to riding the bike though. The upright position is a bit... strange after only riding a road bike for a few years. The lack of hand grips is strange as well, though once you actually get in the woods and off pavement, the thought of getting "aero" goes away completely. Shifting is of course different... I got caught in too high of a gear quite a few times, but that will just come with general mountain biking practice.
But all that aside... I am astonished at the amount of fun I had. Even with stopping that much to take pictures, it was a great experience to get off the pavement and get "hidden" in the woods. I can't wait to go back out again!!!
That looks like a fantastic hardtail mate and some great biking areas. I love cycling through woods as the ground is so soft and bouncy.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the fantastic world of Mountain Biking mate. I know you'll just love it! :-)
ReplyDeleteSome awesome terrain there - the "bridge" looks like part of the giant redwood park down in Rotorua, which has quite a bit of dirt track biking if you're ever in my part of the world. Neat trees, too, dude.
ReplyDeletethose trails look perfect for that bike stout!,
ReplyDeletei have 3 old cannondales and have always been a big fan of them since they were one of the pioneering companys in the mid 1980s...
they always seem super quick and great climbers...
more posts like this please!
Thanks all! I did pop my tire during this which I didn't realize until I got home... must have been a slow leak. My guess is it happened as I was going through the bamboo. Loads of little stumps that I know I hit too hard too fast and (probably) with too much psi in the tires. I am heading out Sunday to Patapsco which should be awesome!
ReplyDeleteKungFoo - Yea, riding on trails is great. Such a different experience than a road bike. Now instead of attempting to dodge anything in my way, I head straight for it!
Clive - Haha, thanks! I am already starting to think about converting to the knobby side!
Vitt - Rotorua looks stunning!
coastkid - Thanks man! The lightness is what did it for me. Nothing else (in my price range) was even close. Should definitely make climbing a bit easier!
Stout,
ReplyDeleteYou probably aren't aware what "converting to the knobby side" can be construed as here in the UK... LOL!
Stout: The bike looks the "Dogs Bollocks" mate which means looks great but better
ReplyDeleteClive: You av bin reading to many posts from me and Joby