I took the Gary Fisher X-Caliber out for its second ride today. I didn’t post about the first one because I didn’t have the bike setup properly enough to give me a good first impression. Yesterday Tim and I rode with Troy from Bikes Unlimited at Blackwater trail. It was almost like hiring a trail guide to go with you. He was able to show us the correct way to make it down some tricky parts of the trail and also help me out when my chain sucked up between the crank and the frame. Being my first time ever on trail with clipless pedals I took it pretty easy on the downhills and rocky sections. I did not fall however, I am very proud of that. Anyway, Troy realized that my fork was not set up for my weight so he took the bike back with him to the shop and got it all set up for me.

When I picked it up they had set up my derailleurs, put the correct amount of positive and negative air in my fork, replaced a link in my chain, and tightened my back wheel. Also Troy informed me that we will without a doubt need a shock pump. It is very important to have the shock set up for your weight and to check it every other time you ride. The guys at Bikes Unlimited definitely took care of me. Thanks guys.

So anyway I took the XCal out today to Peaks View Park to see how she felt when she was set up correctly. Let’s just say, that I freakin loved it. Now I’m not in the best of shape right now (just got married, took too much time of my bike, yada yada), but the XCal rolled over everything. The trails were in great condition so I had great traction and handling, the front and rear disc brakes are amazing. Tim was right, with disc brakes they stop the same every time, no guessing how hard you have to squeeze like with V-brakes. The fork was great and the shifting was smooth. For my first true ride on the XCal it did great. We’ll see how it goes after we get a few miles on her.