Paul Petch

New Job and full suspension considerations

After what seems forever I’ve got the blog back to a ‘readable’ state and I must admit… I really like where it is heading. The latest WordPress release is also fantastic…. what an epic effort those guys make to the blogging community! Brill.

Anyway, back to other bike related stuff :D I start a new job next week and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be part of the IT tech support team at a very well known institution here in Christchurch. So what does this have to do with bikes? Well, firstly I’ll be passing up on what I’ve become accustomed to for the past 6+ years- the world of freelance graphic design…and this means less time to just ride when ever I want too (boo!). The positive is that I’ll have an income :) and  I’ll get to commute everyday (ok ok I’ll catch the bus when it’s raining!) so I’ll need to sort out a bike suitable for the daily road blast.

*Que bike related purchase rationalisation….*

My first thoughts were to get a road bike fixie for the role, and I was 99% sure that I would pick one up this week! But after much thought and the fact that I’d rather spend my cash on a new mountain bike frame I’ve decided to throw some slicks on the GT Peace and bump up the ratio to something large and stupid :D Problem solved for a fraction of the cost….. brilliant. Oh… and I have a spare set of wheels for the slicks so I’m hoping a simple wheel change with a different ratio should solve any antics on the dirt if need be!

So what’s this talk of a new mountain bike frame? I was looking at replacing the Lynskey with maybe a Cotic Soul or similar…. but I’ve also been toying with the thought of adding a dually to the stable too. The thing is….why do I need another long travel hardtail? when I have the Jewel in my collection… the Cove Handjob :D Well after some sleepless nights and much number crunching, I’ve decided to slap the cash on a full suspension bike as a deposit and pay it off as I go. I’d like to think that it would be in my sweaty little hands by Christmas…. put it that way :)

I mean it makes sense…. I have a rigid single speed, a burly hardtail trail bike with a massive fork up front and now I’ll add a modest long travel trail bike with boing to the collection. I’ll then have a bike for most types of terrain… and to be honest…. something I can ride in between the other bikes to give my back a rest from the feeling of being beaten with a sack of door knobs. (thanks for that quote Tama ;)) I’m really excited about it… yes indeedy.

*The force is once again balanced in this Yedi Knight*.

So now the hunt for the type of dually I’m after begins. Craig and I took a look around the city stores yesterday and were not really taken by what we saw. At the moment my list of considerations include something from either Giant or Yeti. As you can see I have a lot more research to do- oh- and I also need to see the Lynskey gone too.

If any of you guys have some suggestions for a good full suss trail bike with 5+” travel…. I’d love to hear from you. I’m a total newb at this as I’ve ridden hardtails exclusivley for 15+ years….. hehe.

Well I’m of to give the Cove a good scrubbing (as it is a mud fest from Lake Sumner) and get up into Porthills for the afternoon…. to take advantage of my daytime freedom before next week hits hard.

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Related posts:

1. Cove Handjob and Its rebirth ;D
2. My bikes. 2000 – 2009
3. Lynskey titanium arrives
4. This week…
5. Single speed riding – an introduction

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Bike Stuff and tagged with commuting, cove, gt, lynskey, single speed. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.