Continuing on my bike search...
One of my 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo teammates, Addie Teo, also happens to be an ambassador for Niner Bikes and so, of course, she rides a Niner. (Addie is a badass on the trail, along with several of my other Vanderkitten 24HOP teammates, but more on that later.) While trying to get excited about the Specialized 29er that Salem Cycle suggested for me, Addie shared a video of a Niner bike she was drooling over.
Haha!!! I want to gush over a bike too!!! Somehow, I didn't think I'd be gushing over another Specialized.
So I went online to see if there were any shops nearby that carried Niners that I could at least look at, and sure enough, I discovered a shop in Medford that not only sold Niner, but Cannondale, Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Yeti, and Ibis, (last year's VKCX bike sponsor). Ooooohhhhh!!! No Specialized?! No Trek?! I had to make the drive to Medford to JRA Cycles to check it out.
OMG, I got to ride bikes!!! A slew of them! From a carbon Cannondale 29er (a bit out of my price range), to a less expensive Kona 27.5", to a few others in between... and the final decision came down to a Kona Kahuna 29er. It's soooo fun! (And full disclosure: when choosing between which model Kahuna, I went with the less expensive model because of the color. Hahaha... It's the aesthetics that get me.)
One of my 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo teammates, Addie Teo, also happens to be an ambassador for Niner Bikes and so, of course, she rides a Niner. (Addie is a badass on the trail, along with several of my other Vanderkitten 24HOP teammates, but more on that later.) While trying to get excited about the Specialized 29er that Salem Cycle suggested for me, Addie shared a video of a Niner bike she was drooling over.
Haha!!! I want to gush over a bike too!!! Somehow, I didn't think I'd be gushing over another Specialized.
So I went online to see if there were any shops nearby that carried Niners that I could at least look at, and sure enough, I discovered a shop in Medford that not only sold Niner, but Cannondale, Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Yeti, and Ibis, (last year's VKCX bike sponsor). Ooooohhhhh!!! No Specialized?! No Trek?! I had to make the drive to Medford to JRA Cycles to check it out.
OMG, where do I start?
Right from the get-go -- from the very second I entered the bike shop -- everything felt right. I was introduced to Adam (Kline), who understood I was new to mountain biking but not new to cycling, and had a basic idea of what I wanted. (And a budget). I confessed I had no real knowledge or experience with mountain bikes, as it's not my primary sport, but I had a few friends giving me guidance. (I just didn't mention that they happened to be elite pros, because that would be weird.)
Adam was sooooooooo super awesome. He considered several different bikes for me, and pulled out a few to test ride.
Test ride?! Whaaaaatttt?!?!?! Hahaha. Test ride?!
Of course, I was wearing jeans and boots because... TEST RIDE?!
No problem... Adam asked what size shoe I wore, and then slipped his off for me to wear. I'm not kidding. He gave me his shoes.
Right from the get-go -- from the very second I entered the bike shop -- everything felt right. I was introduced to Adam (Kline), who understood I was new to mountain biking but not new to cycling, and had a basic idea of what I wanted. (And a budget). I confessed I had no real knowledge or experience with mountain bikes, as it's not my primary sport, but I had a few friends giving me guidance. (I just didn't mention that they happened to be elite pros, because that would be weird.)
Adam was sooooooooo super awesome. He considered several different bikes for me, and pulled out a few to test ride.
Test ride?! Whaaaaatttt?!?!?! Hahaha. Test ride?!
Of course, I was wearing jeans and boots because... TEST RIDE?!
No problem... Adam asked what size shoe I wore, and then slipped his off for me to wear. I'm not kidding. He gave me his shoes.
OMG, I got to ride bikes!!! A slew of them! From a carbon Cannondale 29er (a bit out of my price range), to a less expensive Kona 27.5", to a few others in between... and the final decision came down to a Kona Kahuna 29er. It's soooo fun! (And full disclosure: when choosing between which model Kahuna, I went with the less expensive model because of the color. Hahaha... It's the aesthetics that get me.)
I never even looked at the Niner. Weird. But I'm so thrilled with how it all came together. (Thank you Adam and JRA Cycles in Medford!)
It's a super fun bike and I can't wait for it to arrive! I'm trying to be patient, and had hoped to get it 2 weeks ago, but there's been a delay in shipping. Arrgggghhhh!!!!! Cross your fingers it gets here soooooon! I need to hit the trails before the winter hits hard!
(Next: Patiently waiting... and realizing patience is not my virtue.)
It's a super fun bike and I can't wait for it to arrive! I'm trying to be patient, and had hoped to get it 2 weeks ago, but there's been a delay in shipping. Arrgggghhhh!!!!! Cross your fingers it gets here soooooon! I need to hit the trails before the winter hits hard!
(Next: Patiently waiting... and realizing patience is not my virtue.)
