Sunday was the perfect day for a long ride to the top of Mt. Tam. It rained most of the day on Saturday, and I was itching to hit the dirt. I ended up doing an indoor interval session instead. Having fully dialed in my new bike I wanted to see what it could do on an extended ride through the Headlands, Muir Woods, to the top of Tam and back down Coastal View, over to Dias Ridge, back through the Headlands and back. I was solidly impressed to say the least, having set some personal records as well as segment top 10 standings on Strava, both up and down.
What surprised me most about my new bike is that I felt faster going down than I ever did on my Epic. Maybe it's due to the steeper head angle or stiffer front end or a combination of everything up front, but it just felt like I carve my way down more easily. The ENVE wheels never wavered from their line, and the frame and fork just soaked up most of the trail chatter.
The Racing Ralph tires also proved to be a surprising upgrade from the last few sets of Specialized tires I've owned. They have this interesting reversed shouldered side knob pattern that really grips into anything and everything. As a rear tire I can feel it gripping for an edge, but not in the best way. Maybe too much traction for a rear tire. We'll see. I'm going to try out their fast Furious Fred tire on the rear to see if it strikes a nice balance.
The rain the day before made most of the trails nice and soft. A little damp and soupy in spots, but overall dried out and perfect for riding. I didn't make the usual mistake of not packing any food with me, which helped me get to the top of Tam and back in time for a late lunch, a beer, and an afternoon screening of the new Bond movie. What a great way to end the weekend.