Updating...

Did something I haven't done since November, maybe even October.  I put my bike on a car and drove to a local trail.  That felt strange.

I had made the wide bar swap from my Blackburn Chamber HV floor pump to the Stickel Meatplow V.6 a week ago, but hadn't got a chance to ride it yet.

For those who like number things, the old bars were XC crabon risers (690mm), the new bars are aluminum flats (750mm).   The crabon Enve flat bars on the Vertigo Meatplow V.7 are 700mm for the sake of comparison, a length that was determined with much riding and fiddling and chopping.  No, I don't know my bar lengths off hand.  I had to measure them.  I'll forget those numbers in a week or less.

With time for a longer local ride, I headed to the US National Whitewater Center.  Dunno the last time I was out there,  but trail honcho Leaf Life told me there was more trail added recently.  That should serve to kick my ass with loads of climbing and more importantly, for the sake of these bars, descending.  Why?

This is my Pisgah bike primarily.  I feel sometimes as if wider bars would feel better on the descents, but it's just that.  A feel.  No real evidence other than what's been shoved down my throat by the fake news and enemy of the public, the liberal bike media.

The USNWC is no Pisgah tho.  FWIW, I did turn on my STRAVA.  Another first.  I've never had it on for a real mountain bike ride before.  Strange, but I wanted some idea how much trail is out there now... but also realizing that twisty trails make for some bad data, but whatever.  28-30 miles.

Things I now know:

The Stickel Meatplow V.6 with a 120mm fork (designed for 100mm/rigid), wide bars, and 650b+ (and a half) tires make this thing feel slow in the twisties.  I was quickly reminded that there's a reason this is my Pisgah bike setup.  Oof.  That was a long ride.

Speaking of which, 28-30 of tight single track at @10 miles an hour means I should think about bringing food next time... or at least put Carbo Rocket Half Evil in my bottles.  Hitting the Goat Hill Climb around mile 20/hour two with nothing in the tank... with the power line climb still looming, eeeesh.  Let's just say that I saw some of my STRAVA rankings before clicking it to private.  I wasn't lighting any records on fire for sure.

Wide bars and tight local trails.  I don't know how people do it.  Trees.  They're everywhere.  Close together.  Threatening pinkie knuckles.  Fuck that.

I missed the TOGS on my Vertigo Meatplow V.7

I didn't realize how often I use these on a normal ride.  My thumbs were constantly going up on top of the bars searching for the helpful nubbins.  Nothing.  I missed that position all day long... but this is my Pisgah fun bike, so... I gotta figure out if I wanna throw $20 at a bike I ride ten times a year.  It's only $20 though, but I did figure out that they won't play nice with the position of my Knog Oi bell, so molar problems with molar solutions.

If I learned one thing (and end up doing no things), it's that I'm not going to take the TOGS off my favorite bike that I ride 95% of the time.  Clutch.  Super bummed that the one color I'd want to order for the Stickel Meatplow V.6 is out of stock.  RIP purple.

Anything else?

I'm not going to make any changes until I can get up to the real mountains... but, the next few weeks?  We've got a big Tour duh Charlotte prep weekend coming up (anyone have some push brooms we can borrow?).  Then, there's only two weeks till the biggest event in Charlotte (that involves riding all over town and racing and beer and food and friends).  After that, there's just a couple weekends before the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek (which it looks like Nick "Dip 'n Spray are going back up to get our dicks beat off again), then a family related trip... and then getting ready for the always stacked May, so... the "season" begins?

Huzzah.  I guess.