Small victory.....

Small victories have to be recognized. People on the outside that don't know what has been going on with me might not even have noticed that I have been off the bike since April 16th. 

Yeah, the last time I threw a leg over a bike was April 16th.....wow.

Well, my reasons here were known. I did have a real injury and real excuses. I still technically do. I am not cleared to ride until August. So, a few more weeks of waiting.

However, I was told I could ride the trainer. And I threatened for weeks that I would actually dust off the bike and get started again, I just never actually did. 

Finally....84 days later....I was back on the trainer. First pedal stroke in almost 3 months. Sheesh.

This was the small victory.

I pulled myself out of the hole I have been hiding in and forced myself to ride. Now, it wasn't long. It was only 30 minutes, but that is 30 minutes that I put toward my future self. A single step is always greater than not moving at all.

Then, last night I went down there again for another 30 minutes. Nothing super exciting. But you cannot build anything without a solid foundation. These small steps will be the stones that are laid to create the foundation for 2025. I know, I know! Its only JULY! But listen....my riding was scattered before I actually stopped. And my last winter wasn't great. So my foundation is weak. I will acknowledge this. 

While that foundation may be weak, it can be built up again (and again if needed). This is how everyone is. I am not really starting from scratch, I have the materials...I just need to do the work.

Continued small victories every day will start to add up. I had applied for a management position within my company. We couldn't agree to terms on salary, so I refused to take the job, or they rejected my counteroffer. Take it however you want, I was not in the best mood. I have had a few good days of eating leading into yesterday. With the stress levels high, I reached for the chips. But I put them back. Walked away and did something else for a bit. Then I came back in again and reached for them again. Nope, put those fuckers down. I put them down again and changed laundry. Distracted myself for a bit. Then it was around 5 and my stress was elevated again. Once again, I wandered to the chips and stood there looking at them. What will they hurt? I mean, I am already heavy....so what will have a bag of chips hurt. Thankfully, I was able to walk away one last time....leaving the chips right were they sat. Instead I had some peppers and some veggie dip. Before you scoff at the dip....its homemade and WAAAAAAAY better for me than the chips. While not perfect, I was able to be present in the moment and stop my binge style eating. Victory. 

Small or large....the victories need to be noted. I have ridden the bike 2 days in a row and I have avoided some of the comfort foods I normally attack in stressful moments. If I can keep having these victories I will continue to build and strengthen the foundation. It will never be perfect, but I can develop the habits to keep the foundation strong. Stay on the path to being happy and healthy. 

I am reading a book right now that addresses negative thinking, negative self talk, and self-destructive patterns. It is interesting to read through here and see things that I either currently do or have done in the past. Being able to reframe situations and how I respond to them will help with the foundation too. I know life won't be all sunshine and rainbows, but I am working on understanding what I have control over and how I can respond to everything else. One small step at a time.

I will get there....just like I got to the top of the Koko Crater in January. It was hard. But one step at a time I got closer. Even when I had to stop and rest, I was able to look back and see the progress. It can be done, and I have to keep telling myself that. 

Keep moving forward. 

Buckle up

I am sitting here on the couch in an empty house. I have "Race Across the Sky" playing on the tv. I pulled my riding gear out and cleaned out the bags. This was a long overdue task. I have a video uploading to youtube and it crosses my mind that I don't know where my external drive is at the moment. This external drive has all of my videos from the past few years on it....so it has some value (at least for me). I don't know why, I guess maybe I have just been putting stuff off lately. I cleaned out the bike bags, and put all the cables and battery packs back where they belong. Cleaning house so to speak. 

A lot of things have been put off. I won't lie....I have used the surgery as an excuse to let things go. I have been cleared to ride on the trainer, but I haven't. I had videos to edit...but I haven't. I have tires to set up tubeless, but I haven't. I have snacks to eat. That hasn't been a problem. 

However, there is a problem. Me. I got lazy. I got lazy fast. With the laziness and extra intake of snacks, I have added some mass. I would love to say it was muscle mass, but its just a fat mass. Being off the bike and dealing with depression is a lethal combo for me. I am what would be described as a textbook "Emotional Eater". Happy...eat. Sad...eat. Bored....eat. Stressed....eat. Horny....you get the idea. 

Unfortunately as this year has worn on the scale has shown an increase in gravity. So I am feeling and looking a lot like this friendly character, Beta Max. 

Not good. Not good at all. I am reminded of what comes with the additional weight. Harder to get up off my ass. General discomfort in all areas of the body. Even my hands are swollen. Overall, I just feel like fucking shit. So my mood turns to 'fuck it' and I eat more. Making it worse instead of better. 

But....this is how I have operated for 20 years. I lose some weight. I gain it back. I hang out at a weight for a while and then I gain again. For those that know me this has been my history. Gain. Get motivated and lose. Let it go off the rails and gain again. Repeat. Its stupid really. 

This is why I am my own worse enemy. I alone control what goes into my body. I make the choices to either pile in empty calories or to grab vegetables instead. I have always said that if I won the lottery I would hire someone to follow me around and knock shit out of my hand that I shouldn't be eating. 

But....here I am....and it is what it is. Just a continuing cycle of damage being done to my body. I am roughly a month away from being cleared to ride outside again. I have mentioned multiple times in the past 2 weeks that I am "thinking about getting on the bike" or "I should get on the trainer"....and those thoughts are followed by an hour on the couch instead of the bicycle. The downward spiral continues...

But enough about me. 

A couple of weeks ago I had friends racing at the Lumberjack 100. While each of these two friends had different outcomes, I am still proud of them for their efforts. Lisa had a decent first lap, but just wasn't feeling it. I take full responsibility for this. We planned on doing the LJ100 together again. Especially after the frame fiasco and her just missing the cutoff in 2023. I am still super proud that she made a 2nd attempt after knowing how rough it was last year. 

Tom on the other hand, had a great day. He finished his first attempt with a very solid (and frankly shocking) time. I was shocked because he isn't much of a mountain biker. He loves gravel. There is enough fire roads and 2-tracks in LJ for Tom to be successful. Very awesome job my friend. However, it was the next weekend that gathered more attention. The Coast 2 Coast gravel grinder was the following weekend.

Again, many friends up there for this event. But while many were bailing out due to thunderstorms and heavy rain, Tom stuck to his goal of the 200 mile course. I watched his tracker and saw he had a great pace to the first and second aid stations. Then, at the 3rd there was no updated when I expected. After glancing at the weather I understood why. It was dark green and red across the entire area he was riding in. I waited. Shot him a text of good luck, and waited some more. The carnage was real. The hundred mile races were arriving back and just looking like a mess. Then, an update. The rain had slowed him, along with everyone else, down. I couldn't imagine the conditions...let alone having to ride along in them. I would check in every one in a while to see where he was. Eventually, finishers started to cross the line. And then he made it. Even with the terrible conditions he had a great finish. He even took 1st in his category. Very awesome my friend. Be proud of your efforts, regardless of the cost that was incurred.

So why do I bring up these friends. They are the ones that have ridden with the most in the last year or two. When I can ride again, these are the people I will be joining. Slowly at first, but I will get stronger and lighter every week. Eventually.....I will be strong enough to keep up. 

But that lands me here.....nearly a year away from the 20th Edition of the Lumberjack 100. I pulled the image below from the LJ100 Facebook page.

It is 50 weeks until this event. That seems like a long way off, but we know how fast time moves these days. That means I have time to get to work. But that the work I must start now to get to where I want to be. Silly right.....to think I have to go through the rest of summer, winter, and spring before this event should even be on my radar.....but it is right now. 

So, I am going to attempt to get to work again. Start building the base that I need to achieve my goal. My goal? Well.....there are many. 

Long term:

1. Discipline. Be disciplined with small daily goals that will help me reach my long term goals. 

2. Get healthy. I head that way from time to time. But I need to continually work to get there.

2. With 2 comes an obvious goal of losing weight. This is a NEED as well as a goal. 

3. Finish LJ100 again. Goal times aside, Finishing will be a long term goal. So I can focus on riding and losing weight to get across the finish line.

4. Read a book each month. Doesn't matter what book. just something.

Short term: 

1. Discipline

2. Ride. 

2. Eat good.

3. Lose weight.

4. Read 20 minutes a day. 

Seems like a simple recipe right? Start each day fresh. Meaning, if I have a bad day on Tuesday, don't let it ruin Wednesday. Wake up every day with a set of goals to achieve for that day. Developing the habit of being consistent. 

I really should be grateful. Grateful to have the opportunity to do anything in my life. Grateful I can get on a bike and pedal. Grateful to be alive after the saddle PE back in 2019. Simply stated, I let the daily grind wear me down. Then I don't do what I need to do to ensure I can combat that daily grind. Instead, I grind myself further into the dirt. I am there so often that I begin to believe its where I am destined to be. I know I don't belong in the dirt......but we all find ourselves here sometimes. The key is....I can't stay there. 

The climb starts now.

 

Remember 2019

 Something made me think back to the year 2019 today. Not sure, but it took me on an interesting path.

Just about 5 years ago I was sitting in a hospital bed not knowing whether I was going to live or die. Literally. Standing on the brink of death. As I said, not sure sure what took me back to that time I spent in the hospital, but if you care do go back and look you can here. (CLICK)

Maybe I am where I am mentally revisiting that journey because of words a friend of mine gave me. 

Hey Sean….read your post and am sorry you are going through so much.  I am certainly not trying to play anything down that you are going through, but I know the tough side of you and you can and will prevail.

My journey from 6 months ago and a month in the surgical ICU at UofM has changed me forever.  I have never been good in the patience department, but have learned it finally.  I am sending a pic of where I was with the vent being removed to see if I would respond.  Just like you I have persevered.  You went through a lot of stuff several years ago and that was in the back of my mind.

If you ever want to jaw, hang out, ride or whatever….I will be available my friend.

Perspective. As bad as things seem, they can be worse. My friend above here had a brush with death. He was, in all honesty, closer to heading home than I was. I am thankful he didn't. And I am very thankful for his words above. 

So yes, I nearly died. Well, I was closer to death than I have ever wanted or planned to be. I am thankful that I was able to survive that ordeal. One would think that taking a blood thinner every day would be a stark reminder of that time in the hospital, but taking the meds is more of a habit than a 'lifesaver' in my eyes. Still, my brain went back there.

At the time I didn't fully understand it. Looking at it now I can remember talking to a nurse there and her telling me how serious it was. But memories fade and we forget. I forgot how I felt sitting in that room, waiting for something exciting to happen. Nothing did. Eventually I just went home. But I find myself in that same position....sitting here waiting for something exciting to happen. 

It reminded me of a Bone Thugs and Harmony lyric where he says 

"There are 3 types of people...

those who wonder what happened....

those who know what happened....

and the people that make it happen..."

Only I can make it happen. I have to do the work. I have to get out and ride. I have to drop the weight. I have to make it exciting. 

Its like this pic here....

You can have all the gear. You can talk a big game. But its truly only exciting when you are out there making it happen. We all have bad days. Times when we just want to say "fuck it" and still the itch at the back of my mind exists....a gnawing ping that tells me to get on the bike. Granted, I have somewhat of an excuse with a surgery recovery. But, I cant use that to avoid the trainer. Especially when the doctor told me I could use the trainer....even though I haven't. 

There is chaos as usual. We have that in life. But I believe as long as we don't quit that we can keep fighting our way back. Or even just fighting ourselves out of a hole that we dug. I am still here afterall, even after all the times I have wanted (and tried) to quit. 

So, I find out Friday when I can 'ride for real' again. I am ready to get out there and work my way back out of the hole I have dug. No reason to dwell. I have a pile of excuses I can use. But that has to end. As I said in my post yesterday, Discipline will be my friend. We need to be locked together like conjoined twins. Inseparable. 

Working on new idea for this silly blog, the facebook page, and the youtube channel. If you guys have anything you would like to see, or any ideas.....let me know. Until then, keep the rubber side down. 

On the downward spiral

What have I done?

Nothing. That is exactly the problem. 

It is also not entirely true. I have done more damage to myself, in the form of weight gain again. I have used my tendon surgery as a crutch and an excuse to pile massive amounts of garbage into my system while simultaneously sitting on my ass and doing nothing. 

Junk in + lazy = high mass.

I can tell too. Clothes are tight. Body aches. General lethargy. Its a really great feeling. Not. 

So, I find myself once again on the downward spiral. When I had surgery I honestly didn't think I would miss riding as much as I have. But I do. I have watched friends riding, training, and doing races that I would normally do. It made me want to ride.

But...I haven't gotten clearance from the doctor. Which is also a half truth. I have a follow up this Friday, but I sent my doc a message last week. I wanted a time frame when I can ride again. From my research I should be back to normal activity 3 months after surgery. Which is August. still a month and a half away. Doc said that I cannot ride yet, but that I can ride the stationary bike. They don't want me using the 'fast twitch' actions that cycling can have. It makes sense I guess, because slow and methodical actions are all I can do. Anything quick and I feel that instant reminder that I am not healed yet. So, I can ride the trainer.

But that was just last week, and I found reasons to not get on the bike again. Weird how motivation works. When I can't ride I want to....and when I can...I don't make the effort. Strange.

The other factor that drives that decision is my mood. In general, I am doing ok. There are many life factors going on at the moment, but we can only take them as they come. One day at a time.

One pedal stroke at time. 

Once again I find myself starting over. Not really starting from scratch, but starting from a familiar place where I just haven't done much in a few months. I will start back slow. Every day I need to get on the bike, even for a short time. Just get the body moving again. I plan to eat better, again. I plan to do a lot of things, and I just need to find the motivation to stay on course.

Motivation. Interesting. That might not be the best word. The word I NEED in my life is DISCIPLINE. I need to be disciplined in my life. Much like getting up and going to work everyday, I need to be disciplined enough to pass on the junk food, to choose fruit instead of cookies, and remind myself "what good will this food do if I put it into my body". What is my goal? I need the discipline to stay on point with eating and riding and reading and understanding that there is only one way to get where I want to be. 

I need to do the work. I alone control what happens. I keep coming back to where I currently am. I guess I am comfortable here. But I am unhappy here. So I have to start the climb out of the hole yet again. Stop going on the downward spiral and take control.

Here we go.....again. 

Sailing ships....

All ships will eventually sail. Some find themselves with tragic endings. Others sail on to glory. Others still just sail through their lifetimes with nothing but memories and stories of the many passengers. The cycling season for 2024 is one of those ships.....

....and it is rapidly approaching an iceberg......

Many months ago I visited a doctor about tennis elbow. I was hoping they would do a simple injection and I would move on with my life. I guess they don't do shots in the elbow....and I guess the nitro patches I used for a month were not enough to promote the necessary healing. 

Elbow, in general, feels better. But if I used my arm in any fashion my elbow just aches. Silly really. To think that raking leaves back in October would still be causing me issues. In general tennis elbow will take 6 months to heal. And while I have seen progress, I am not healed. The aching and sharp pains take off from time to time. So I visited the ortho again and he sent me for an MRI. 

Those results came in as not great. I have a tear in one of the tendons. Upon receiving these results I started to do my own research. There are 3 or 4 likely routes to achieve success. 

1. Rest

2. Blading

3. Minor surgery

4. Major surgery

Option 1 didn't work. Option 2 isn't offered by my surgeon (and is a new procedure with mixed results). Option 3 is a less invasive option where they go in and clean out the area. Then they inject my own spun down blood cells into the injured area to promote healing. The success rate on the size of tear I have is generally 30-40%. Not great. So, option 4 it is. This means they go in and anchor the tendon to the bone. It is more invasive and the recovery time is clearly longer. 

3 months or so. That is the recovery time. I will be in a cast for 2 weeks, then a wrist brace for another 4-6 weeks before finally being able to slowly work back to normal activity. 3 months puts us around 4th of July. 

Season blown up. 

Life comes at us I guess. This is just another bump in the road. But I am getting fairly tired of the bumps. I know we all have them, and we all deal with them differently. 

Stress is up. Weight is up. Excuses are abounding. Mood isn't great. 

The road to recovery starts in a few weeks. 

Side note.....not sure how much longer Singletrack chronicles will be a thing. Could be time for this ship to sail as well.......

A lumberjack and a waffle....

 I am sitting here with a healthy helping of waffles. 

Not the real kind, but the decision kind where you can't make up your mind. I need to make a major decision coming up. I plan to make that decision by Monday. 

But what is the question?

What is this dude thinking?

The short answer is really a long and involved answer. 

I will start last June....at Lumberjack. I took what would turn out to be an emotionally devastating kick in the teeth. When the DUFF frame failed at mile 52 I knew I was in for a journey. I didn't fully understand what that journey would entail. 

It started innocent enough. I filed a warranty claim with Giant. I had misguided thoughts that they would honor their warranty and I would end up with a new and potentially awesome bike. That never came to be. They didn't find the same value in my Anthem SX that I did. Their offer just wasn't good enough for me to jump at it. Whether they didn't understand, or just didn't care, is irrelevant at this point. But, that weighed on me.

My riding dipped the second half of 2023. I let the situation with Giant get the best of me and I tanked. I tried to gain composure in August, but didn't even touch a bike in September or October. Not good for me physically nor mentally. You can see my calendar below. The year started off pretty good overall. I was making steady gains and actually riding my bike.

Not great, but a solid start to the year. After Lumberjack my motivation tanked. My focus was simply elsewhere. I was trying to sort out a new mountain bike. Work was bananas. Life, as usual, was happening at 200 miles per hour. So my riding got put on the back burner. I tried a few times in November but just couldn't get back into the swing of things. In December I tried harder again. Knowing I had to get my ass moving for the start of the 2024 season. No better way to kick start the year than to end the previous year on a high note...right? 

And the year did start great. I got spend a week in Hawaii with Christine. It was there she accepted my proposal. So the year personally has been good. I even did that crazy ass crater climb when I was there. All good things. Emotionally I was doing great. Physically.....well.....

Ending 2023 I didn't really ride the last 2 weeks of the year. Then I didn't ride again until the last week of January. Another 6 week gap off of the bike. So a few months off.....followed by a decent couple of weeks....followed by another month and a half off. Major physical losses. 

So the year didn't start off great. And that slow start bled into February. I was finally able to land a new bike. That should help right? Well yeah, new bike day is always good. But February being a light month meant that I was still losing fitness. Work stress has been gaining steam too, which we know isn't a great combo. 

High stress + low physical activity = not good

Where I should be using the bike to burn off that stress and build fitness, I am so emotionally drained at the end of the day that I just don't want to. Thus the downward spiral continues. Add in that I am an emotional eater and that spiral goes even faster downward. The only thing that has gone up is my weight. I am currently 20 pounds heavier than I was at LJ last year. It all keeps adding up.

So what am I saying?

Short answer is that I am about 70% sure I am pulling the plug on LJ100 for 2024. All of the factors have been adding up. I am not making excuses....just looking at facts to arrive at the inevitable conclusion.....

I simply cannot be ready. And if by some miracle I did manage to train hard for 3 months, I would still have the mental side of things weighing me down. Yeah, work stress will be what it is. But I have lost faith in myself. That is what pushed the scales far enough that I don't believe they will tip back, but just this year. 

I plan to make my final decision over the weekend, but its not looking good for LJ100 in 2024.

Mudhorn Shakedown Ride and initial review

 I was finally out of excuses and managed to get the Mudhorn out of the house and onto the trail. Here is how it went.

I loaded up and headed to Yankee Springs on Sunday morning. It was a decent 45 degrees with a decent breeze. The drive over was uneventful. I arrived around 10 AM to a fairly full parking lot. Its funny this time of year to see the lot full. With the race coming in a month a lot of people are getting their training rides accomplished. And you cannot beat the weather for March. I geared up and made sure everything was good on the bike. Pumped up the tires and it was time to head out.

The drop in at Yankee (in the red direction) is always fun. That initial little drop with some rocky flow showed me a bit about the bike. Right away I thought "bars are too wide". lol. That distracted me from anything else at that moment. But once I got thru there and hit the first little climb I was shocked at how fast the bike ramped up to speed. Well....my speed. 

Going from a 27.5 to a 29er doesn't seem like a dramatic change....but it really is. The last 29er I had was my Trance X. While I loved the bike (for the year I had it) it had it drawbacks. It had aluminum frame and wheels so it was a tank in and out of the corners. Ramp up speed was awful. That being said, the last ride I did on that bike was LJ100....so....I made it work.

I went into the first set of sandy corners at the top of that small climb and found the 2nd thing about the bike.....the brakes still suck. Of all the things SRAM does, they fall short here. But, lets think of a few other factors here too. This was my first mountain bike ride (on a mountain bike) since Lumberjack last year. A solid 9 months since being on a full squish bike with only a handful of fatbike rides mixed in....so that is one thing. Second and most important, I have never ridden this bike. Its going to take some time to get used to the handling. Lastly, its a 29er....and its been 8 years since I have had those big wheels. Those factors made the first part of the trail interesting. 

From there I tried to settle in and just think about riding again. How it felt to be out at Yankee Springs for the first time in forever getting miles into my legs and trail abuse into my body. Safe to say I have missed being in the woods. I am over the gravel craze and ready to spend a lot of hours in the woods where I belong. Even if I am riding alone, the woods are calling.

The riding goes on. I reached the ditch climb and decided to try out the suspension lockout. I snapped it LOCK and immediately was shocked to feel the bike stop bobbing. I followed a guy up the climb and was surprised to actually gain and hold his wheel to the top. A few other guys were coming up behind me so I let them pass. Then I opened up the suspension and started the next section. This section I am typically pretty comfortable and quick. Being on a new bike, I was a bit more cautious as I dropped in. The bike responded how I figured it would, but I was riding slower. I thought I heard another rider coming up behind me so I took off again on the flatter section. There wasn't a rider. lol. But, it did make me push a bit and open up the new bike for a bit. Its fast.....but the engine needs work.

I popped out of the woods to ride around the valley and again locked the suspension out. Got up the climb, opened again and tried to carry my speed across to the next climb. I caught another guy right there but wasn't closing the gap yet. I was just riding my pace and trying to get comfortable on the new bike.

The first real climb came into view. I actually closed the gap on the rider in front of me and caught him right at the Washington monument stone at the first level of the climb. My buddy Dwight passed and offered his encouragement. I hopped back on and climbed to the top. The gearing is awesome and the shifting was crisp. I like the big wheels when climbing. Seems to make it easier. I got to the top and tried to open the throttle until I got to the Pines. Still tentative on the corners I kept losing speed. But that is something that improve with more hours on the saddle.

I got through the pines and caught that same guy again on the climb out. I passed him and gapped him on that climb by mile marker 7. While the climb isn't easy for me....I was able to make the climb and keep going to bomb the next downhill section. I was coming in hot to all of the corners as I descended. Not sure if the bike is faster, or if I just wasn't setting up right for the corners but I was getting a bit out of control. I eased up and just took more of a flow than a bomb style of descent. Slow flow for now, fast bomb later.

A few other guys passed and I found myself on the climb out. In general this climb isn't terrible, but its gets super loose as the year presses on. I just kept climbing.....and that is always my weak point. This bike still climbs pretty good all things considered. The fact that I made all the climbs is a good thing for me this early in the year.

I finally got to the last stretch heading back. I decided to try to push my body a bit to see what I had left. It wasn't much, but the bike felt like it wanted more. The more I ride it the harder I will be able to push it and trust it. But being able to push in the sections I know, I like it. I got back to the lot and decided to hit the short section as well. A full Yankee Springs on dry dirt in early March isn't unheard of, but it is so welcome. 

Overall a great ride. Not fast. A few quirks. Just a great day to be out in the woods. I do want to give some impression of the bike and I will do that here. 

Suspension

   I could actually feel how active it was. Maybe the Anthem was just old and not functioning as well, but this bike I could feel the movement. It felt smooth and quick. It wasn't harsh or jumpy. So when I say I could feel it, it was just the bike coming back to normal position. Having a lockout for both front and rear is seemingly a game changer. It has 3 modes of operation. Open, Pedal, and Closed. Open operates as expected, fully allowing the fork and rear shock to do its thing. 120mm up front and rear both mean a lot of movement. Being a heavier rider I appreciate the movement. Pedal, this one is unique. It limits the travel while still soaking up the bumps and roots. Great on the flat sections with some roots where you still want to go fast. Closed was great on the climbs. It locked immediately and worked great. The twist motion on the Rock Shox lockout is ok. I would prefer a button, but I got used to the twist lock as the ride progressed.

Brakes

I wish SRAM would buy a better company....because these brakes are worthless. I hated them on my Anthem and I don't like them on this bike. They are surely something that I will be upgrading. They just feel under powered. Yes I am a heavy rider, but the brakes feel like they are barely working at some points. Plus this bike has a 4 piston on the rear and 2 piston on the front. Meaning the pull actions are different between the sides. The front moves so far that you are almost touching the bar with the handle. PLEASE SRAM....buy a better BRAKE COMPANY.

Handle Bar - cockpit

The race face bar is nice enough, but it will be one of the first things I replace. Its too wide, which is fixable with a simple cut. But the setup is ok. The grips are not my fav. I will be switching back to my ESI Chunkies when I upgrade the bar. Overall the setup isn't bad, just not what I prefer.

Wheels

The spec shines here. The DT swiss 1501 carbon wheels make this bike GO. As I said before my biggest grip on my last 29er was rampup speed. These wheels don't have any issues. They will go as fast as I can push them. The rear hub is super quiet too. Not a BEE style that we often hear in the woods. I won't be annoying anyone while coasting. Of all things on this ride, I worried about the wheels the least.

Dropper

This bike came with a Rock Shox Reverb AXS dropper. As I have never used a dropper I gave it a go a few times. Not really sure I like it....and I don't really need it for this area. I am likely going to take it off and sell it. Initial thoughts are that it would come in handy if you are riding enduro or super steep trails....neither of which I do. Kind of cool, but not really needed.

Handling, rolling, ramping

Like I said before, a first ride is hard to gauge the performance of a bike. But....I had less complaints than compliments on these aspects. On the corners that I actually trusted I was able to lean in and come out of the corners with some speed. The bigger wheels will take some time for me to learn, but I will get there. Initial impression is that I can be faster on this bike. It rolls better and it ramps up better than my old 29er, and seemingly better than my 27.5 (that I won't even speak the brand). The build spec is close from my old bike to this one, but the wheels are lighter (even though they are bigger). The overall weight is pretty much the same. So bigger wheels, means I carry more speed over obstacles and the bike just feels faster. More to come.....but so far so good. 

Overall Impression

Bike = Good

Engine = needs work

In all honesty, I just need to ride the bike more to get used to it. The more I ride the fitter I will get. The fitter I get and the more I ride this bike the more comfortable I will get. Ultimately, I hope to be faster than I was last year. That true test comes in June. Stay tuned.