55 on 5/5

[KG4CGC]

Jebus. I don't know. It was the last year the produced the Mongoose brand in Taiwan. 24 speed full suspension. It was made between 1999 and 2000.

[N8YX]

Jebus. I don't know. It was the last year the produced the Mongoose brand in Taiwan. 24 speed full suspension. It was made between 1999 and 2000.

I did a bit of searching on BikePedia and came up with the following:

Crankset - SR XR17, 24/34/42 teeth
Rear Cogs - 8-speed, 11 - 28 teeth

The low and middle chainrings on that bike are a couple teeth higher than on ours, while the largest is a couple teeth smaller. Interesting. And the rear cassette is pretty much identical to that used on the Rockhoppers, the exception being that theirs are 9 - rather than 8 - speeds.

What matters is the large ring to small cog ratio: For a given speed you'll be pedaling a bit faster in "top gear" than I would in a sprint. Doable if you have a fresh start...but...

Rewind to last evening. We rode 20mi in just under 2h - non-stop - to get to the bike shop where the night ride was to depart. Of course, almost everyone trailered theirs and were "fresh" - so when the ride commenced in earnest, we got left. Managed to catch up to the pack, but soon tired and got left again. What's up with that?

Simple: Almost every one of them was running a touring or road crank (48 or 50t outside chainring) and mine is a 44t. I'll climb hills (in particular, single-track forest nastiness) better than any of them but on a path or road it's a different story altogether.

Note to self: Get that Salsa Fargo built soon.

All told, 41mi in a little under 6h with 2h of that in breaks. Not bad, considering Nicki wrecked twice and I had to un-fsck her bike each time. Jumped a bunch of deer and other critters. Smelled two places where mountain lions have been marking territory.

Here, kitty kitty. Me and 'DSG need new seat covers...