Black Mountain Cycles first ride!

33 degrees and 19 mph wind... perfect day for a first ride on my new Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross bike!  Well, maybe not the most perfect day.  It would've been better if Ryan were along but he had a change of plans and couldn't ride.

KT and the kids headed off to a birthday party, and I set out for some mixed surface riding.  I aimed for the swamps to hit some gravel.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  That sign is always there.

The chip and seal roads on the way out felt good on the new frame and tires.  I was rolling the Clement X'Plor USH tires with 44 psi front and rear.  The cracks, bumps, and occasional chuck hole, yes I swerved into them for a change, were soaked up by the bike.  Dampened and smooth is how I would describe the road feel.  It wasn't masked, just smoothed out and enjoyable.  The bike was also very stable, holding a line was easy.

I guess yesterday's rain had an effect on the lowlands.

I lined up for an enthusiastic transition to gravel and was immediately impressed.  My former aluminum cross frame reared its harsh self at times like this as I would hang on for the ride.  This BMC bike, by stark contrast, had me pushing on the pedals and grinning.  It felt great on the gravel.  I swerved around puddles and intentionally aimed for piles of loose gravel.  But then I ran out of road as I realized the flood warning sign was warranted today.

I rode it for as long as I could.

No worries, I back tracked and enacted plan B.  Some extra miles on the road delivered me to the rest of the gravel I was seeking.  The fun part was getting to launch from pavement to gravel again 20 minutes later.

My first impressions continued and I enjoyed more dirt and gravel in the cold.  The trees and terrain were keeping the wind away, and I was feeling toasty warm.  At some point I realized I hadn't really tested the new brake setup and jammed on the stoppers.  All good, no shudder!  And, the feel of the brakes was much improved thanks to the new pads.

Picture stop in the swamps.

"Maybe I'll ride down to the birthday party and see the kids" I thought.  At this point I left the gravel of the swamps and popped out on a back road.  I turned into the wind and was given a beat-down.  It was a steady, cold head wind that resisted my forward progress.  A road later I turned away from the wind for a break, adding some more miles to the ride.  After doing a back road zig-zag for about five miles I made it to the party.  The festivities were on, the kids were having fun, I ate a hot dog, and then back on the bike.

Looking good and riding very fine.

Leaving the birthday party I could have taken the direct way home, but I opted for an "out and around" route.  Somewhere along the way my rig was feeling heavy.  It could have been the wind, it certainly could have been my legs, but I felt like I was pushing along some extra weight.  I know this build is heavier than my former cross bike but I'm not sure how much.  Come to think of it, it could have been that hot dog at the turn.

Let there be snow!

And then the conditions became even more interesting.  Apparently all that wind was bringing in some snow squalls.  About eight miles from home it hit me in the face, quite literally.  Icy snow was stinging my face as it blew in side ways.  Wow, I didn't expect snow to accompany pavement, dirt, and gravel today.

My best strategy: be happy in the cold snow.

Less than two miles from home the snow stopped and a spot of sunny, blue skies flew over.  Weird, wasn't it just snowing?  The landscape proved I had not been dreaming; powdered snow lined the edges of the road and spread across the fields.

To make the final connection home I road through the high school and around our neighbor's field.  I was making the most of the cross bike.  The Clement USH tires were not providing much pedaling traction on the wet grass, but I don't think these conditions were part of the design goals for this tire.

A shortcut home.

It was a very good first ride on the new setup.  The roads and weather were entertaining and the bike performed great.  The front shifting worked okay and there were no mechanical issues.  The only change I will make before the next ride is to lower the handlebars a bit and see how that feels.  Oh, and the fenders need mounted, they would have been helpful today.  There are many more miles and smiles to be covered on this bike!