After having a couple of weeks on the new 2007 Gary Fisher Paragon, I've been able to get myself re-trained about how to handle a bike off-road. Some of that is due to my being without a mountain bike for a season, and some of it is due to the changes in the geometry that are just required by a 29er.
I have the Prolouge and Inner Loop cleared up until you hit the deep rock creek. I was out of fuel for the trail-clearing equipment, and had some family coming into to town, so I headed out for home at that point, leaving me with a good trail to get some practice on later. The weather was -- well -- dang hot. It felt more like late-April/early-May temperatures rather than late November. But at least the poison ivy was dead and gone.
The Paragon is still a lot of fun to get on, and pretty addictive. The larger wheels are without a doubt more comfortable for me. I don't feel beat up at all after a good 90 minute workout on it. Certainly nothing like I used to feel after a ride on the Homegrown with the SX-R fork. The Paragon's Reba fork gives off a prounounced "woosh" sound on bumps, and that has taken some getting used to. The SX-R was pretty much silent in comparison. The lockout on the Reba is definitely a nice feature when I'm on the road headed home.
There's no doubt you sit higher off the ground on this bike. Way off the ground! Gary Fisher may be technically correct when he says the center of gravity
relative to the center of the wheel is lower than on a 26" wheeled bike, but you're still so high off the ground on this bike that getting on and off on steep, off-camber climbs can be an adventure. This height off the ground, along with the crazy wide handlebars make for some difficult handling situations on the really tight trail we have here. Climbing, provided you stay hooked up with the ground, is improved. The front end doesn't want to lift on you, and the rear wheel stays glued to the turf better than I remembered. For a while, I was upset that my all-time favorite tire -- Panaracer Fire XC-Pro -- wasn't available for 29er bikes, but these Bontrager stock tires are doing nicely, and I don't have any plans to change them right now.
The hydraulic brakes are doing their job. The rear brake has developed a roughness to the feel, though, and I may need to get that checked out. You can feel the cuts in the rotors when you brake on the rear. The front is as smooth as it can be, in comparison.
Toby's tip for turning the new Bontrager Sweep bars down was a big help. Your elbows tend to stay in more, I've noticed, compared to traditional flat bars with little sweep.
Some posts you may have read elsewhere indicate there is a problem with tire clearance on the Paragons. Let me set the record straight: there isn't a problem. There is plenty of clearance with the stop setup. If you want to run some monster 2.8" tire, then you will have a problem. A bigger potential issue is the location of the front derailleur cable. As you can see in the picture below, there isn't much clearance for the derailleur cable at all. So far there has been no problem, however.
I'm getting more and more comfortable with how to handle it with every additional ride. You can corner quicker if a) you've got the room to lean it hard and b) you've got the guts to lay it out like that. In other words, it corners like a road bike, and not like a traditional 26" mountain bike. It just sticks well in the corners.
Hairpins require a little more thought because of the longer wheelbase. It took a few hours of riding to get comfortable with riding into those corners with the front wheel initially way outside, and planning where the rear wheel is going to go. It's second nature now, though, and not a problem at all.
The added comfort of the bike is enough for me to give it a high recommendation. I'm not beat up at the end of the ride like I used to be. I'd like to get in some 4-hour rides over Christmas break on it. And like you read before, the Bontrager saddle that comes stock is super comfortable. Don't replace it without at least trying it out for a couple of rides.
Double Race Weekend - Winter Short Track Series to ramp up Sat. 2/02 in Charlotte. Follow that with Sunday's make-up race. Should be great weather this weekend.
Rumor has it that this is a jam up event in the Fontana area of NC. XC, Night DH & Social events galore. Fear the social event.
Rumor around the computer fire is the infamous blue socks will be dusted off and back in action for this weekends short track race. Race this week will be in the dark. Guaranteed to be a whole lot of blue on one person. Good thing it'll be in the dark.
HBW (Monty, Jamie & Toby) grabbing the holeshot of the expert race.
Monty sets the pace for a rapid start and playing a vital role as temmate for Jamie's third win.
Jamie on his own covering the breaks late in the race.
Come see Paul at the shop to get your new colors for the '07 season. In stock bibs, shorts, jersey, vest, jackets and thermal jersey. New for this season - arm warmers and knee warmers. Check on sizes, shorts seem to be cut small and the arm warmers cut big. Kit looks very professional out on the road & trail. Support your local shop and show your colors.
