Happy New Year!
Had a chance to get out and ride with a buddy today. The temperature was again around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Even with cold weather gear it’s cold. The bottom of Providence Canyon was an absolute winter dream. After a bit of adjustment I was excited to once again try out the new GX AXS. Excitement would quickly degrade into disappointment as my shifter totally gave out. Luckily it gave out in the largest cog leaving me able to climb in the snow. Still it was one of those worst nightmare moments you grill the bike shop about before going with an electronic shifting solution. “What happens if the electronics or the battery give out?” The response is usually “that never happens.” I’m here to say it does happen and it happened to me on the second ride of a brand new setup.
Any day on a bike is a good day and since I was geared up, I wasn’t about to not ride. I convinced myself that it was no different than riding a single speed and so legs spinning at high RPMs up I went.
When we hit the bridge about 2/3 of the way up we hit the choppy ungroomed snow. Instead of braving the trail we decided to try the road. Hundreds of snowmobiles had left it somewhat packed but also really rough. I’d be lying if I said we didn’t walk a lot of the steep hills.
At the top we chatted with a group of guys on snow machines. As it turns out several of them were guys that had spent 4 hours the previous day making the bottom of the trail perfect. Big thanks to all the volunteers who work hard to ensure beautiful trails.
The ride – Providence Canyon