Below this dude was a trip or was tripping on something! He was playing that harmonica and talking to anyone and everyone. He was making several people nervous with his rants. He finally got off the MARTA train and left everyone alone. Ahhh, the joys of public transportation! It was worth every penny of that $6 though to ride the train into Atlanta and back to the hotel.
SOUTHEAST BIKE EXPO
After the SX race we had a decision to make. Since FATS trails near the BMX track had been closed for rain we were given a second option of Blankets Creek in NE Ga. Well guess what? Those had been closed too due to too much rain. I have to interject here; I wish our trail riders in NE TN respected the trails like the SORBA peeps do down in Georgia and stay of of them when they are wet - Ok that's all. Now we still had one last option. Head over to the Georgia Horse Park in Conyers to hit up the Southeast Bike Expo, so we did. We hooked up with a couple of locals, Andy and his wife Abby, for some fun on the trails. They rode the day before and tried out several bikes so today we were out to do the same.
We rode our own steeds for the first lap of the granite fields then soon returned to try other bikes out. I took a mega digger while riding the 650b on the trail and nearly flew off a 8ft cliff into a ravine on our first lap. That bike asks to be thrown around like a crack ho trying to hook for her next fix. After we returned to the expo we met the Norco reps. These guys were so cool. We introduced ourselves and they were interested in our shop affiliations and by the end of the day we left with several hundred dollars of Norco swag. Tshirts, coffee mugs, coolers, shop mats.... Coach AC cleaned them out! I wanted to try a FS rig of the 650 sizing so I was able to get a Sight Killer B for my first one. It was very slow rolling but when you hit any tight flowy part of the trail it felt like a race hirse ready to go. We also got a quick shot down the slalom course on these and this bike felt amazing in something it was built for...trail riding. It was a smooth as butter
Below; I thought Dereleek was going to have a heart attack when he saw this bike....
Here we are out on the trail. The ETSU Team gets to ride the GIHP trails every year because Georgia Tech hosts their collegiate MTB race here in September every year. Coach AC on the left is trying out a bike that he already has on order with a local shop. He loved it. He's competing in the new enduro type racing that's becoming very popular as of late.
Heres a big wide angle of the expo. This is less than half of it....
After I returned the Norco I went to ride a Special Ed 29er Epic. Sadly they had none my size available. I checked in three different times and they never had one in the stalls ready to go out.... sad! I've never been a fan of 29er squish or full suspension to some of you. It's just too much bike for my and that's just my personal opionion, to each their own. Everything I've been able to demo is either just a heavy tank or the geometry doesn't suit me. Therfore I've yet to be impressed.
I ran into Earl, our local Pivot Bikes, Reynolds Wheels, Seasucker & Gloworm Light rep, at the show and hung out a bit with him. We sell Pivot bikes at Hampton Trails but I've never had the chance to demo one, yes, sad I know. Well he had 3 bikes with him and I was abkle to saddle up a MACH 429 carbon FS rig to assault the trails with. I'm just going to say this bike is AMAZING! For me, it hits right where I like. Its not like a big travel trail bike but more than a small travel XC racer. If I ever purchase a FS 29er it will be this bike. I still want to try out a Epic 29er but it's a low travel XC race bike. The Pivot responded to me in every way I like. It climbed very respectably for a big FS 29er. The carbon and the kashima Fox shock, together, made the ride extremely plush over the roots and rocks. I'm sold!
Look! It comes in my favorite color too....... lime green! Bad A$$
Don't give Catherine your iPhone to take 'a couple" of pics with...... she's cool!
Canadian Ehhhh??
The weekend was a total blast! SX racing and MTB riding and demos. Classes have been pretty full with the workload so I really needed to get away this weekend. The quick BMX trips were fun, don't get me wrong, but they are short lived and don't last long enough.
This week we travel to Sumter SC to hit the first Maxxis Southern Series MTB races this weekend. #Training races yes that was a hashtag for a blog. Get over it!
LAter G.................................
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