Small Old Man Yells at The Cloud

The gears are back on the Epic EVO, first time since June 18th... except now it's electric.

I didn't bother trying to use all the "features" that the SRAM AXS app offers on my first ride, because as an "old," I was just trying to grasp how uncomplicated this really is... and the fact that trying to get the stock bleep blooper button in a comfortable position is nigh impossible.

I fiddled and farted around with setting up the shifty bits to talk to the cybers and went out to ride at the misty USNWC with Dr Mike for a short rip on Sunday.  This is what the machines tell me:

190 shifts (most of them on purpose) to learn what I don't think I want to know.

The gear I used the most is also the one gear I'd ride normally at the USNWC (except when I'm too lazy to take off the 19 or 20 that was already on there from a previous ride... which is often).  I shifted down to the 21, probably in search of my missing 19 or 20, and I guess I went up to the 16 or 14 when I thought I could go "faster."  That said, the only PRs on STRAVA were a flat'ish road/double track on Rail and the afterthought trail known as Field Trip, which for the first time ever, wasn't a loose-over-hard flat corner shit show.

Dr Mike and I weren't really getting after it, but still...

Obvs, the USNWC is not Pisgah or any place of great consequence... the kinds of places I had in mind when I sank all this money into a plastic bike with a bunch of moving pieces.  I won't get the chance to ride it this weekend (bike-free for days and days), and the next weekend, I'll be recovering from The Spoke Easy's 11th anniversary party on 11/11/22.

So Pisgah mebbe that Sunday but definitely not Saturday.

I'm only giving myself the "luxury" of gears for four or five months before I swap this bike back over to single speed, so I don't fall into the trap of laziness and stupid.  If any of the data ever presents some kinda different result, mebbe I'll share with the class at a later date.

Or not.

I also really, really, really miss riding my Vassago Meatplow V.9 a whole bunch.  It's soooooo choice, it's gonna steal a bit of thunder from the geared expereince.

Also, this thing:

Winter Shart Tarck.  Dunno if I'm doing it or not... dunno if I'd do it geared 50+ (I have gears now, weird) or single speed or 50+ on a single speed or... dunno how much work we're going to be able to do to the course to replace some of that pavement with dirt and add poorly built (by me) or well built (by someone else) jumps and features.  If there's a work day on a weekend, I'll be there with a shovel and some impractical shoes to help.