"Bad" Weather
Grrrr.....! For days, everything and everyone was predicting 60-70% chance of rain all day last Sunday throughout the entire greater Tampa Bay area. As a result, my friend and I decided to make other, indoor plans rather than go dirt biking like initially planned (OK, plus we both ended up sleeping in rather late on Sunday - like 10:30 am late). Wouldn't you know it - beautiful temps and sunny - all day. Because of our late start and other plans, we didn't go out on the bikes Sunday. Which means I couldn't try out....
My "New" Gear
As you may recall from
Part 1 - The Gear, I would have further updates on my gear. This is the first of those updates. While out on my first day riding last month, the kidney belt of the medium Alpinestars Bionic 2 armor ended up working more like a bustier on me (yeah, I know guys, and the problem with that is.....?! Trust me - I got that comment when I reordered, lol!) rather than protecting my kidneys while I was riding. It also felt constricted in the shoulders while riding, so I decided to exchange the medium for a large. I haven't tried the large out riding yet, but just trying it on I feel like it may function more like it's supposed to because it is a little broader in the shoulders, the back protector is longer, and the entire item is longer and as a result seems to fit my entire torso better. I was pleased that even though it's wider and longer, the mesh doesn't seem to fit much different than the medium, which was my greatest worry. Of course, the real test will be riding - so we'll see what the weather holds for this upcoming Sunday.....!
Bike Updates
No riding also means I didn't have a chance to try out my updated handle bars, clutch, or brush guards. The brush guards I decided to add as an optional accessory for when we start getting off the trails or ride trails that have a bit more branchy stuff in the way. I bought the Trackside brush guards from Cycle Gear; they weren't terribly expensive and seem basic but I feel that is just fine for me being the noob I am. We also replaced my handle bars; they weren't in terrible condition when I bought the bike, but the bars were bent a little and new ones were, again, a relatively inexpensive fix. Clutch was a bit wonky and had issues with finding neutral; that is now fixed. Still waiting, though, for the back-ordered left peg to come in. Also need a heat shield so I can avoid burning a hole in my pants again (luckily I have a GR patch to cover that up!) And, of course, *need moar stickers*!
