Too Much Change

So yeah, it’s been a while since I mentioned the new bike I got from Niner I guess.

If you’re looking for some sort of long term review, then I suppose this could be it.  I really like the new EMD9 for the most part.  It’s an entry level 29er hardtail XC bike, and with that comes decent components.  It’s a solid build, but a little on the heavy side.  Since I’ll probably keep it for a while (and race it of course), things are in the works to made it a little lighter.  Why just a few short days ago I made a call to my local bike shop to get things going…

Anyway, it is a good bike, especially for the price.  The geometry is the same as Darth Maul (my One9) so I didn’t really have to get used to a different ride. One minor complaint I have is the seat, but that’s just because I’ve been riding the same seat on every bike I own for years now.

I took care of that too.

My last and only real complaint is the shifty stuff.  And quite honestly, I hate it.  No offense to Niner or the quality build of the EMD9, but I just can’t get used to shifting.  Ain’t gonna happen.

I’m stuck being a single speeder.

Thanks to Mike L. for that gem.

Gears have a purpose, but not for me.  When racing, I either find myself in too high of gear (forcing myself to work harder than necessary on climbs) or I get lazy and shift down when the trail goes up.  This is unacceptable.  I’ll keep riding it geared and all that for a while, but I don’t think I’ll ever undo the damage that was done by riding just one gear these last few years.

Who gives a shit.  Single speed is dead.