After figuring out last week that upgrading our bike components was not going to work, we revisited our spreadsheet of bike comparisons. So far we have looked at: Yeti, Santa Cruz, Pivot, Niner, Guerilla Gravity, Giant, Liv, Fuji, Trek, Orbea, Fezzare, and Ibis. We compared multiple models and builds of each brand. We looked at carbon frames and aluminum frames as well as Shimano versus Sram builds. We like aluminum frames but found that they seem to be going away as fewer and fewer brands are carrying them at all. We also compared warranties to see who stood behind their brand. We had spent hours looking up information and learning about all the different brands, but we had so much fun doing it! It was educational to learn more about bikes and the different levels of suspension and drive trains as well as differences in carbon frames and technology that has been worked into the different pivot setups.
Tuesday was another late shift so I had time in the morning to edit a short video that we made on the River Legacy trail about how to fix a tubeless flat while on the trail. I was able to edit the entire video before having to start work. I did struggle though with the speed editor in the software. It was working in the preview but when I clicked ok, the speed of the video had not changed. I even exported the video to see if it was just an issue with the previewer in the software. I watched a youtube video from the software manufacturer and even that didn’t help. I followed every step exactly and the video still would not play sped up. I just could not get it to work, I was so bummed because it looked really good and I had some awesome music picked out for that little portion. Oh well, I had to move forward and I will see if I can mess with it another time and get it to work.
On his lunch break, Dom zeroed in on the bike that we felt was the best one for us. It checked our boxes of having significant component upgrades from what we have, rated for all mountain riding, aluminum frame, good colors on the frame (my requirement of my next bike), and a price that we felt good about. He researched as much as he could about the brand, the model, the components, and the technology that the manufacturer had put into the frame. Once he was satisfied that he had found our new bikes, we looked at the pictures of them again, mostly to make sure that I was ok with the color, and he started calling around to see where we could find them. We started at the local bike shop who was an authorized dealer. They told us that we could put 10% down and they should arrive by February (darn you Covid!). That was not agreeable. We called the manufacturer and they said that all 2020 models were sold out and they didn’t have the release date on the 2021 models yet. Dom called another authorized retailer farther away but still a reasonable distance to drive, we’ve driven hours to buy the right vehicle so why not to get the right bikes? They were also sold out and didn’t know when they would be getting more. Getting new bikes was looking pretty grim. There has been a run on bike since Covid came around. Everyone decided that it was a great sport to get into all of sudden and the manufacturers are trying to keep their doors open and cranking out bikes but they have less workers to make them and shipping is taking longer with less people working for the shipping companies. Everyone is struggling to stay safe right now.
Well, you know what they say, the third time is the charm. Dom called a third authorized retailer in Utah and they had 2 bikes in stock. 2021 models, one medium large and one large frame! The last two bikes they had in stock were the sizes that we needed. They also didn’t know when they would be getting more bikes in. We put a deposit down to buy a little time to discuss it before the final purchase. Since I was working a late shift, I didn’t really have the attention to devote to a big decision so we waited until I got off work so that we could give it our full attention. After looking it over again, we decided that we had found our new bikes. We called the bike shop in Utah back and paid the invoice.
Now to write it out and trying to keep it short, it sounds like this was a fast and easy decision, it was not. We are not sponsored, we use all of our own money for everything and we are working full time to support ourselves without any backup if we fail. But this is our goal and our dream, to ride trails and bring them to you. We are investing our hearts, free time, money, and whole bodies into bringing you the best posts and videos that we can. This is why we appreciate your support so much, when you like, subscribe, and share our content it is only then when we are able to grow. The more we grow, the better quality content we can bring you.
After all of that excitement we decided to have a relaxing night on Thursday and just wash the Colorado bugs off the Jeep before they became part of the paint. We piled the Adventure pups in the car to let them get some fresh air and new smells outside the campground and we left for the self wash station about 6 miles north. We pulled up to the wash and discovered that it is cash only and we had none. We drove next door to an ATM and withdrew $20. We headed back to the wash to see that the change machine didn’t accept anything larger than $10. We drove across the street to the dollar store and bought the dogs a toy for $1.08 and got change. We went back to the car wash, got $15 in quarters so that we would have some for laundry and other car washes while traveling. Then Dom finally got to wash the car. He did an amazing job too, every single bug was gone and we could see the sparkle in the black paint once again!
Saturday was bike ride day and we chose to ride our local trail Erwin Park in McKinney, TX. As we got to the park and unloaded the bikes, we decided to change Dom's rear brake pads before riding. He has been having a lack of braking since he rode Powderhorn Mountain and it was time for some new brake pads. It was a good lesson for both of us to learn how to change brake pads. We rode most of the trail before reaching the section that we've dubbed " Tree Gate Hell". I decided that since I've made it through this section twice in the past that I was going to try to ride it today too. I got about a quarter of the way through before I had to stop due to tight turns coupled with high roots. As I tried to dismount my bike, my leg got caught on the seat. I panicked as I didn't want to fall tangled in the bike in such a tight and dangerous place and I pulled as hard as I could to get my leg free. In the struggle I pulled a muscle in my left shoulder.
After some rest, snacks, water, and pickle juice we got back on the bikes and finished riding the trail. After our ride we decided to get protein smoothies and burgers for lunch and head home so I could ice and rest my shoulder. We also stopped off at redbox for a movie to save our hotspot data from streaming. It was a good day with plenty of sun and heat to help keep us on our toes.
Sunday was a lower key day as I was still feeling my shoulder. We reorganized the pass through storage, discussed the logistics of a trip to New England and picked up some items from our storage unit. We also watched a second movie in the afternoon since the temperature rose to over 100° and it was too hot to work outside. We planned to wash and maintain the bikes at 6:30pm when the sun got lower but as we started getting things ready, the sky became dark and we checked the weather. A bad storm was coming in so we quickly packed everything up that was outside as the wind picked up and began blowing hard enough that we ran to shut the awning before we lost it. We raced to finish getting everything put away and secured before the rain started. We managed to finish just in time and got to watch the storm roll in and the rain start. Of course rain shuts down trails in this area so hopefully they will be open again by next weekend.
We hope to see you back here again next week!
Comments