Fisher's New Hi-Fi

New for 2008 is Fisher's trail proven Hi-Fi platform in a 29" wheeled format. This will make many folks happy, as you can now get a reasonably well spec'd full suspension 29er for right around $2ooo.

This model is the entry level Hi-Fi Plus. It has Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic brakes, SRAM X7 shifters and rear derailleur and the new Rock Shox Reba with G2 crown. G2 is Fisher's new geometry, which is intended to increase slow speed handling without giving up high speed stability. One of the key factors is to extend the crown of the fork, the stock Reba is 38mm, the G2 is 51.
Those that have ridden it off road, say it lives up to the hype.

Following this model, is the Hi-Fi Deluxe, and the Pro. I hope to have some of these in stock in the coming weeks.

Fisher has some rather exciting hardtails on the way too, most notably the redesigned Paragon, and the OCLV Super Fly.

I can't wait for that one....


I also took delivery of the elusive Fisher Ferrous. This bike has been very hard to get. Besides having really cool paint, it also has an eccentric BB, putting it in the ranks with the Niner SIR9. It too can be set up either geared or singlespeed. It comes with all of it's gears, but with the supplied derailleur hanger chip, can be made into a clean looking singlespeed.

When Mandy popped into the shop today, it was in the stand, and she said "Ooh!!!! What does that one do?" Fortunately for me, she already has a sick hardtail, and she is a girl that likes her gears...
Whew! Dodged that one...

It's an eye catcher for sure.

Sunday Bonus Post

We had 9 people that showed up to today's trail day, and we got a lot done.

There was an old section of trail that was built maybe 10 years ago, that had eroded into an almost unridable mass of roots. We bypassed this section with about 200ft of benched in, sustainable singletrack, featuring bermed turns.

Our crew was a good one.
Thanks everyone!

Bike of the Week

It's no secret I am a big fan of the Niner RIP9. It's always great when someone comes into the store, looking for a high end full suspension trail bike, and I can point them immediately to the RIP.

You may notice a pattern to the builds too. Most of the bikes I put out feature a Bike 29 RoyaleWheelset with Stan's rims, SRAM drivetrain components, and Easton bars. It's a combination of products I've used on my own bikes for the last few years that I have found to be very durable and reliable. If I had chosen the Hi Ho Silver colorway for my bike, this is probably how it would have turned out. The red accents really flash.

As I spend a majority of the day fixing other people's jalopies, I have little time left to work on my own bike, and when it's time for me to ride, about the only thing I have bandwidth for, is lubing the chain. It's really important for my equipment to be working properly at all times.

Today is our big trail day, which I will update on later this evening.

Blog updates this week will include some new bikes that will arrive tomorrow, a new fork, and a ride review of the Slingshot Farmboy.

Have a great Sunday!

A Night at the Trailhead

Last night we set up the tent at the tunnel leading up to the Perry Hill trail network.
We have a big trail day planned for this Sunday, where we have a large reroute planned on one of the main loops. Thursday is by far the busiest night on the trails, and we wanted to make our presence known. I counted at least 60 riders out there last night. That's a lot of traffic.

The goal was to try and rope in a few volunteers with some hotdogs and beer (I mean, recovery drinks), and of course it was a golden opportunity to get some folks hooked on the big wheels.
We had numerous parking lot test rides, and two trail demos.

While we won't know how successful our even was until Sunday, all in all, I think the event was a hit. There is an interesting cross section of riders that use the Perry Hill trails, coming from all over. It was great to meet some of these folks, some of whom are very active within their own cycling community.

The fundraising continues for the Harpoon Point to Point.
I have so far raised $185, but still have a way to go to reach my goal of $500.
You can donate directly, anonymously and securely by following this link.
It's for a good local charity, so please donate. Any amount is appreciated.

On the Road Again

With all the rain we've had over the last few weeks, trail riding has been pretty hit or miss. We get a couple of nice days in a row bookended with several days of rain. All this adds up to poor trail conditions.
And, being one of the few that help maintain our local trails, riding them when they are wet never seems right. When I found the big washout after our biblical rains a few weeks ago, I was extremely disappointed to see tire tracks on the trails. I have an idea who those tracks belong to, but unless you catch them in the act, nothing can really be said.

This Thursday, July 26th, VMBA, Stowe Mountain Bike Club and Five Hills Bikes will be camped out at the tunnel leading up to the Perry Hill Trail Network. There will be some BBQ, beverages, riding and tech support. Thursday is by far the busiest night on the trail, and we are trying to spread awareness of what it actually takes to keep the trails in the best possible condition.

Sunday the 29th is also a work day, sponsored by Five Hills Bikes. After the work, we ride and have a BBQ to thank all those that joined in.
Contact the shop for more details 802.244.7330

So needless to say, all work and no riding can make George crazy, so it became clear that something needed to be done. This something manifested itself in a shiny red Salsa Primero.


There are some folks that are probably scratching their heads about this decision, but I look at it a couple of ways.
1. I need to ride. Road riding is a good way of getting out and spinning your worries away.
2. I have the Vermont 50, a 50 mile off road race to do at the end of September. I need to train for a long day in the saddle.
3. Last year I was talking big about wanting to do the Harpoon Point to Point ride. This year I am going to do it. 110 miles is a great way to break in the booty.

The money raised at the Point to Point will benefit the Vermont Food Bank
The ride is on August 11th, and I am accepting donations in any amount, but my goal is to reach a minimum of $500. Anyone wishing to help out can contact me directly, or go on to my profile page and donate directly.
Remember, it is for a good cause, so be generous.

How does the Primero ride? Well, pretty friggin' awesome. Mandy and I cranked out 50 miles yesterday, and the bike disappeared beneath me. I feel that with the correct attention paid to fuelling the engine, 110 miles should be attainable. I'll post some more details on my new 17lb steel skinny tired 29er in an upcoming post. I will say though, that this is the finest riding road bike I have ridden in a looong time.

Did I mention that the Point to Point ends at a brewery?

oh my fokking gawd - or RIP 9 first ride report

(Mandy here, guest blogging to review my new bike) It's finally done. All the waiting for the shorter seatpost, the smaller bars, etc is over. The rain let up for a few days and tonight was the inaugeral ride of my new RIP 9. I'll let George go over all the details of the build in some other post, but I will say that this is a top of the line build and Hot Damn! does it ride well!

It's very responsive, quick handling and great in turns with that super-fun, roll-over-everything 29er feel. I was out riding the Town Loops in Stowe which have a little of everything, but aren't terribly technical.
I felt that the suspension worked really well. I've grown accustomed to the extremely nimble climbing of my Niner EMD, and feel that the RIP can easily outmatch the EMD in climbing ability. I'll elaborate further on the ride characteristics when I do a longer term review - but for now I'm extremely pleased.

When George first started talking to me about getting a full-suspension 29er, I couldn't possibly imagine how it would ever fit me. I'm just a smidge taller than 5'6" and have approximately a 30" inseam. The small Niner EMD with an 80mm Reba just barely allowed me to standover. The small RIP 9 has much more standover height. In fact, I think that this bike would be a great fit for smaller riders. And check out the long legged fork...
So if you fit into the 'smaller rider' category and thought that you couldn't get a 29er to fit, this would be a great setup to try.
George often gets calls from elated customers out on the trail during their initial ride of their new custom bike. If my phone hadn't just suffered a fatal meltdown, I too would have called to express my elation with the bike. It's perfect for me. Truly perfect. And the amazing thing is that I didn't select one thing on the bike. It's entirely a George build from soup to nuts and proof that the guy knows what he's doing. Sure, after ten years you'd expect that he knows what I like. But this is above and beyond what I ever expected.

There weren't many folks out on the trails tonight, but as I was headed out towards Last Run I came upon a group chatting on the side of the trail. I greeted them and rode on by and one of the fellows called out after me, "Sweet bike!" 30 feet later I fell off one of the little wooden bridges into a bog. Not only did I fall off the bridge, I fell onto my right side, the side I don't automatically clip out of the pedals. My Speedplay frogs only release if you kick out to the right. When you leg is bent under the weight of your bike in a bog, it is nearly impossible to get that right foot in a position to kick out of the pedal. I'm talking highly embarrassing, serious maneuvers to get that foot out of the pedal.

ugh.

Keeping it humble.

Rain

The power of water is really amazing.

We've had over 6" of rain in the last 48 hours, mostly coming all at once.
I took a walk up Perry Hill on Tuesday to change the trail signs to CLOSED, and was amazed at what I saw. We'd had some big thunderstorms roll through on Monday afternoon and night, and I was expecting it to be wet up there, but what I wasn't expecting was this!

A couple of waterbars had failed completely, washing out everything below. Most of the damage seems to have been localized to the main climb up, but we haven't had time to get a full look at every trail.

We met last night to asses the damage, and took a walk up to one of the areas that we know is a trouble spot. Then the sky let loose again. Needless to say, you can get a really good idea of where the trail can be improved. There were sections that were under 6" of running water. Some of the work we had done was doing it's job, but it was evident that a lot more work will need to happen.

Ghosts in the Machine

So how weird is this?
The depth of lurkers on this blog has become quite interesting. Today, I talked to someone I have not spoken to in a dog's age. That someone built my very first custom bike.
Dropped everything to do it.
Did it in a way that exuded confidence and knowledge.
Made me watch.
Did it in a way that programmed the way I do things now.
He was smooth, unfettered by incompatibility.
Knew exactly what to do.
Almost akin to the way that Obi Wan gave Luke the Lightsaber.

I wish I had a picture of that bike, it will always remain close to my heart. I dreamed it, he made it happen before my very eyes.

If you must know, it was a '95 Ink Blue GT Zaskar, with a modified Rock Shox Judy SL (I still have the fork!). Many a story to tell about that frame.

I challenge my lurkers to identify themselves (parents not included - we know you watch, and we are very sorry for not calling more often). You may remain anonymous by hitting me directly on my email, I want to hear from you.
Maybe I need an ego stoke.....but maybe I'll hear from a couple of other important folks from my past.

Especially that guy that taught me how to build wheels.
Do you lurk?

Busted!

George is taking the day off from blogging - so another guest post from the wife...

For some reason, this year I've had more than my fair share of mechanicals. First I destroyed a Sram X0 rear derailleur. Then I had to come off of a ride because my chain rings were loose and I didn't have the right tools to tighten them. A nasty Sunday ride at Snake Mtn left me missing a cleat and with a now useless pair of Sidis. It's a shame about the shoes, they were not even a year old. One of the attachment points for the cleats broke and there's no way to repair it and they're not covered under warranty. Between the shoe issue and a business trip (not for the bike shop, nothing fun) -- I hadn't been on a bike for over two weeks and it was finally time for the Tuesday night Girls ride.

And wouldn't you know, not 15 minutes into the ride the pivot pin (not a technical term) falls out of my front brake lever. I'm not a mechanic, I married one and so generally I don't have anything to do with the maintenance or repair of my bikes. But, I really wanted to ride so we searched around and managed to find that little pin amongst the leaf litter. Popped it back in and off we went. Stopped at the top of the next climb, stupid pin falls out again. Pop it back in and ride some more. Falls out again. And this time it's gone. We're looking all over the place and can't find the damn thing. So I call George for a little advice and he seemed to think if we can find something else to stick in there, it might just work. So voila, here's the fix:

a wee broken allen wrench found on the trail. it worked. i had a front brake and we went out and finished the ride. i always find it a little challenging to get back into it after an on-trail mechanical. it's a bit of a struggle to once again completely rely on your gear, especially when you have trail trash providing key braking functions. I'd love to know just how to get beyond that discombobulated feeling.

And just cause i can't resist. a photo from the last Catamount race we attended.

Ryan in the House!

What a day.
Mondays are typically hectic here, as not only do the weekend orders need to be dealt with, the giant mess I make on the previous Saturday needs to be cleaned up. And when you have a busy Saturday, the shop can be quite messy.
Ryan from Niner made a guest appearance, travelling in the area, and with a day free, took us up on some of our local finest. I love showing folks around on our trails. Having a somewhat decent personal Niner arsenal to choose from, Ryan picked Kermit, leaving me with the RIP.
He tried really hard to not completely blow Davey and I out of the water on the big climb up Perry Hill.
We had a short time to fit a lot of trail in, so we stuck to the ones we knew would delight. Bloody, 6 and Joe's.
A trifecta of the best of what Waterbury has to offer.

Check out Ryan on "Stitch".
He is fast.

We have another angle of The Wall on 6 Flags.

We managed to get our ride in about 10 minutes before the skies opened up and dumped some much needed rain on us. While the trails are really dry, it was never meant to be that way. What is noramally tacky loamy soil, is fine powder. The trails are so dusty that the soil is pushing away from the highly traveled areas. We battle wet erosion with bridges and drainage work, but what can you do with dust?

We followed it all up with a nice dinner at the Alchemist with some of Waterbury's finest ales to wash the dirt down with.
Hopefully, we'll see Ryan again soon. We all had a blast.