Okay, I thought I could avoid this whole “tag” thing. You see, Ron hit me with the dreaded “six things about yourself” tag a couple weeks ago. At the time, I was too busy to respond so I used the convenient excuse that I had been tagged before and that the same six things still applied.

As many of you already know, I am in the process of reviewing the Project Pink Ellsworth Evolve. Before I get to the overall bike review (pretty much frame only review), I want to touch on a couple of the components as I go along. This bike came spec’ed with the WTB LaserDisc Trail 29er wheels.

The new linkage design features 15mm diameter alloy axles bolting directly into the frame that are locked in place with ultra-trick collet heads. These control preload on the angular contact bearings in the lower link, which are in turn easily lubed up via the grease ports in the link.

I have seen this once before and I always find it intriguing. Markus Stockl does 210.4 km/h on an Intense in the snow to break the mountain biking speed record. I can’t even imagine going 130.736499 mph on a bike. That is insane and you have to be insane to do it! My hat is off to Markus…that is one hell of a feat.

When you purchase a bike, you really need to make sure that you get the right size. Any competent local bike shop should be able to size out the correct bike. However, what most shops do not have is a fitting service. If you are new to biking or have been riding for a long time, but the fit or efficiency never really felt right…then it is time for a professional fitting.

On Friday, I received my package from out west. The content of this large box contained everything needed to build the Ellsworth Evolve (Ellsworth’s 4″ full suspension 29er frame) for a long term review. To my surprise, I opened the box at T2 Bikes and inside was a bright pink Evolve!

I ran into a deal that I just couldn’t say no to from Mark at T2 Bikes, and I picked up a Troy Lee Designs D2 Carbon. The helmet (off the bike) is much lighter and a lot more comfortable. I am hoping that the blue and red flames on the TLD make me faster than the ghost flames on the Specy…but I am not going to hold my breath. Now I just have one more product has more bling than my riding!

As you can probably tell by now, we are starting to enjoy the Big Creek Tuesday rides more and more. This week, we ended up sessioning the freeride area over a dozen times. It is really great to see a group of cross country riders dialing in their downhilling skills.

As I have branched out and began riding more trails in the Pisgah National Forest, I can see how far my riding has improved over the years. I am still not the fastest or the most agile rider out there, but I have improved none the less. I mean my husband, Stephen, and I go out and ride, usually, the same trails every week.