RIDE REPORT -- Trek 4500 modified / busted up knee
Mood:  don't ask
8-13-05 - Saturday. Yesterday morning Patty and I were supposed to ride. Hadto resort to doing laps around the neighborhood because my knee was barely working. I think it was because the seatpost on the Trek 4500 which I'd been riding the past few days was too short. I had meant to install a proper one but did not get around to it until AFTER my knee hurt. D'oh! Hopefully it's just sprained.

Consequently, I meant to do a long road ride on my Lemond today but I feel like Cap'n Ahab with his peg leg, so it's unlikely, I'll be lucky to putter around for ten miles or so if that.

BIKE: 4500 TREK
MODIFICATION: Longer seatpost

The Bontrager seatpost [27.2mm, 350mm length] was a godsend, allowing proper leg extension. The bike is now quicker in every aspect; climbing, on flats, accelerating, even riding on pavement [as we are all want to do on occaision, even those of us with roadbikes], and handles much better.

Have not been able to fully test it, however agfter a partial test ride, I'm happy to report that with the installed seatpost, the 4500 fits and rides way better. That, and it's not as hard riding with a bandaged knee as it sounds.

Woods test -- TREK 4500 Lonerider special
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: RIDE REPORT
8-12-05 -- the Trek 4500 performed admirably yesterday tho it is arguably heavier than my friend Patty's bike [I gave her my Cannondale].

This was only my second ride in the woods in a long time, but I started it by going full hog, trying a side of the river where there was no trail. She had some difficulty but the 4500's rapidfire gears excelled where the cannondale's gripshift was difficult to operate, so even tho her's was lighter and a better frame the 4500 was able to get through.
Perhaps i shall equip her bike with such gears?
Nevetheless, the 4500 proved an admirably bike for riding where there was no trail, until we came to a rather large ditch [more like a small ravine]. The seat height still is not perfect and it rides resultingly not as good as it could. Shortly after crossing it we turned back, then crossed the river and took the trail on the other side. This began as a deerpath years ago and has long since been ridden my mtb's; unfortunately, some moron from the government put bridges in over some of the dry streambeds/ravines so that you have to dismount and haul the bike up two steps(!). Why couldn't they leave my woods alone?!
Nevertheless, it was a proper mtb trail in terms of being narrow enuff at points to be called singletrack, and we followed the original trail route, also taking a detour to a lower part fo the woods, near the river, where someone had built a neat bmx berm. Hopping it on my mountainbike was probably a bad idea but it's all good as nothing broke.

BIKE: Trek 4500
HANDLING: The '45 handles clims good despite it's weight, probably cause of the short frame [for a mtb it's got a nice wheelbase] and the smaller gears up front. It descends easy enough as well with no fear of endo'ing, whether on grass, dirt or in between. Despite the somewhat hefty front-end weight the bike was able to make it over roots and logs as well, and steering was quick enough when that narrow turn between two close trees came up.
SHIFTING: The rapidfire shifters outperform grip shift every time, but shifting up into an easier gear isn't always smooth, sometimes it has to be shifted up and then backed down a notch to get the drivetrain to run smoothly. This may be something easily fixed by adjusting cabel tension; will have to see...
BRAKING: Brakes were more than adequate, and easily c ontrolled; no fear of skidding out here, despite the "v-brake"s unpleasant rep for excessive stopping power. Mostly no rim noise.
SHOCKS: Aside from the weight the Rock Shox JETT fork isn't horrible, and ate up roots and rocks with no noticeable theft of energy offroad, but it took a lot of tweakming with allen wrenches to get it stiff enough to ride, it was set cushy soft.

THING TO DO: install longer seatpost to obtain better leg extension; install extra water bottle.


-- Elvis

Wed 8-10-05
Mood:  caffeinated

FIRST ENTRY: CAPTAIN'S LOG, STARDATE... Oh, sorry, wrong channel... too much sci-fi and coffee and not enough tequilla and Dana Scully... Uh, it's 11:03am -- test rode my "new" TREK 4500 mtb. The front shocks suck but then I'm a retrogrouch so I itch for a fork with lockout. Maybe fer my b-day? Yeh right. Well, the bike rides well and I posted a review to roadbikereviewdotcom's mtb page...

The Lonerider site is humming along but kinda crowded and disorganized. I guess this will take up the slack ... I will probably make this my new "what's new" page as the other one is crowded with several year's worth of bicycling-life related notes...
Anyhoo... I plan on taking the 4500 back into the woods a lot in what remains of the summer, I used to ride those woods a lot but not so much anymore, however, with a proper mtb, it should happen. Accounts of it's performance will follow.

Still riding my Lemond roadbike frequently of course, and I have been biking to work every day for the past few months.