Post by bozz on Oct 2, 2008 12:44:08 GMT 10
I March of this year i decided to have a crack at my first 24hr solo. the only bike i had at the time was a 08 GT Peace 26inch. They come standard with rigid forks so i decide for a bit of extra comfort that i would don a set of Rock shock Recon Airs that i had and give the 24 a go on that. turned out pretty good by the end of the race, i was sore but i didn't think that i would have pulled up much better even if i was on a dually.
Having my sights set on my next 24hr in June Insomnia 24hr i decided that an upgrade in bikes was in order and after much searching i settled on a 08 Giant xtc alliance and a Anthem2, with only a few weeks to train on these bikes before the race i wouldn't say that i had picked a bike that was more comfortable but the xtc [hard tail] was feeling pretty good.
With this in mind on race day i decided that i would start on the Hard tail and then once it got dark i would swap the the anthem for a bit of comfort. the night before the race it poured with rain so the track was Bogey and you could say that a third of the track was a right off. anyway i stuck to my plan started on the hard tail and when night fell i changed over to the anthem.
About a lap or so into the race i noticed that there was a problem with the clearance between the back wheel and the frame, basically there wasn't any. So back at the pit i swapped back on to the hard tail and continued the rest of the race on the hard tail.
By the end of the race i was stuffed but was back on the bike in three days.
I have been riding both bike for a couple of months now and my view is that for comfort you probably cant go past a softail but, in saying that i would prefer to be on the hard tail because it seems to climb better and i feel very comfortable on it.
Anyone that new me two years ago will tell you that i would swear by a soft tail but now i am completely the opposite.
At the end of the day ride what you feel most comfortable on
I forgot to metion that the xtc alliance is a semi carbon frame, and yes it does make a difference when compared with a full ally frame.
Having my sights set on my next 24hr in June Insomnia 24hr i decided that an upgrade in bikes was in order and after much searching i settled on a 08 Giant xtc alliance and a Anthem2, with only a few weeks to train on these bikes before the race i wouldn't say that i had picked a bike that was more comfortable but the xtc [hard tail] was feeling pretty good.
With this in mind on race day i decided that i would start on the Hard tail and then once it got dark i would swap the the anthem for a bit of comfort. the night before the race it poured with rain so the track was Bogey and you could say that a third of the track was a right off. anyway i stuck to my plan started on the hard tail and when night fell i changed over to the anthem.
About a lap or so into the race i noticed that there was a problem with the clearance between the back wheel and the frame, basically there wasn't any. So back at the pit i swapped back on to the hard tail and continued the rest of the race on the hard tail.
By the end of the race i was stuffed but was back on the bike in three days.
I have been riding both bike for a couple of months now and my view is that for comfort you probably cant go past a softail but, in saying that i would prefer to be on the hard tail because it seems to climb better and i feel very comfortable on it.
Anyone that new me two years ago will tell you that i would swear by a soft tail but now i am completely the opposite.
At the end of the day ride what you feel most comfortable on
I forgot to metion that the xtc alliance is a semi carbon frame, and yes it does make a difference when compared with a full ally frame.