I always wanted a pony! Trek Demo Day.

Here's the rule:

For every hour in the car, one must spend an hour on the trail.

Jacksonville is a long drive.  And we probably should have stayed that extra hour after test riding the Gary Fisher and Trek top of the line offerings.  But the old bikes just weren't calling to us after four hours of plush (really, really plush) cruising on Trek's latest and greatest.

It's my first Trek Demo Day.  Here's how it works.  

Take your driver's license and credit card, fork 'em over to the Trek rep, and sign in.  In return, you are handed a $4000 to $6000 bike, sized to your height and set up to your weight.  Pedals and saddles are mounted to suit your shoes and bottom line.  You are told to go play for a half hour.  Then you bring it back and try another one. 

Trek Demo Day is free.  Here's your big chance to test and decide on your ultimate dream ride.  

And sometimes a free ride can save you from a very expensive mistake!

If you've been to Hanna Park, you know the trails are twisty.  It's the perfect venue to test ride the Gary Fisher Superfly 100.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/superfly-100 

Sure, 29ers are supposed to roll effortlessly over roots, but can they cut the mustard when it comes to tight and twisty turns?  

I've been curious about the 29ers for a long time.  Nearly everyone I know rides 26" wheels, and always has.  You might see big wheels on the trails once in a great while, but it's hard to even find a 29er in a shop to test ride, let alone a full suspension, carbon fiber, practically weightless Cadillac, like the Superfly 100. 

When they were visiting at Christmas, Sailor graciously allowed me to ride her brand new Specialized 29er.  I was impressed, but we never got off the pavement.  It just isn't a test ride without hitting some dirt.

Popeye knows just what he wants and he can't wait to check out the Top Fuel 9.8.  We already put in an order for one last Thursday, but it will be a month before it arrives. 

We both have high expectations.  I expect the Top Fuel to be my choice as well, once I have satisfied my curiosity about the Superfly.

I always wanted a pony!

There were a couple surprises right from the get-go on the first time around the loop.  

Popeye, on the very same bike he had just placed on order, a Top Fuel 9.8 in a 15.5" frame, comes face to face with a runner on a tight corner and goes ass over teakettle in a classic high flying endo.  Talk about hitting the dirt! 

My surprise is much more tame.  I feel like I am on a beach cruiser!  I am up high and cruisin' big.  My new loaner pony flattens the roots and hops lightly up the short hills.  Admittedly I am taking it easy on the brakes after witnessing Popeye's endo, but the turns are going well.  There's one big root stretched across a 90 degree turn and I think, "There's a good test".  The super-pony takes the obstacle with ease and I am unexpectedly impressed.

In all, we try to cover the possibilities with both cross country fun and Xterra racing in mind.  We swap bikes.  I ride the small frame Top Fuel, he rides the Superfly.  I feel unstable on the Fuel, but is it the small frame?  Or the fact that I was just got off a jewel of a cruiser?

We go around four times on new bikes, and once on our own.  

After an unimpressive go 'round on the Fuel EX 9.9, there is a bit of a wait for the 17.5" Top Fuel to come back in.  Whoo hoo!  Worth the wait!  And worth the weight!  Light!  Plush!  The small frame seemed way unstable to me, but that was perfectly cured simply by going up a size. 

Popeye and I trade again and he agrees completely.  The medium frame is much more stable!  

We definitely have the right bike on order.  In the wrong size.

The Trek rep steps up and works with us in making sure of what we both feel, that the larger frame is the better choice for each of us. 

They measure Popeye's old Fuel, and my Santa Cruz.  They change out the seatpost, they change out the stem.  In other words they go, not just a step farther, but the whole mile.

How tall are you, and how much do you weigh? 

Norm, one of the over-the-top-helpful Trek Reps, efficiently pumps shocks, switches pedals, and gets you on your way.

Popeye is finally on the right trail to his perfect bike, but I still have a dilemma of my own.  I can't get over the Superfly! 

One more ride.  One more approach to the big root on the sharp bend.  I push the speed a bit, purposely testing the turning ability.  Whoops!  I shoot straight off the trail and into the bushes.  So the critics are correct after all.  Not so nimble on tight turns!

In the end, it comes down to one simple question.  

What will make me the best rider I can be? 

I consider my strengths, I consider my weaknesses.  When my wrists and upper body get tired, I crash.  Although the Top Fuel is a little lighter and a lot more nimble, the bike that takes the stress off my upper body best is the big ride, the Superfly 100.  

At the end of Demo Day, we are both surprised! 

What we thought were truths about frame size and wheel size turned out to be opinions.  And there's nothing like a day in the saddle to change one's opinion of the pony. 

Trek Demo Day turned out to be a lot more than just a free ride. 

(Yikes!  Hope there's time to call Trek and get that order changed!)