i think i know why it's called the monkey

The short road-ride up to the trail head showed off the rolling advantage of the 29er. I ran the same gear ratio as the Tingle, 32:18, but due to the larger wheels, I had gained 10% more gear inches – in essence the equivalent of 32:16. Great for the flats and cement roads, but the taller gearing and added weight of the steel frame had me worried about the dirt climbs ahead...

Same basic tenets of singlespeeding apply here - maintain momentum, and pick your lines carefully. Suffice to say, the monkey loves to roll. Once you get it up to speed, it just keeps on going. Here's a series of pics taken by Manitou on the second climb in Sta Rosa, which was a surprise right hand turn near the end hehe







Yes, it's called a Monkey coz it likes to climb. Despite running my old gearing, I have to admit, the bike dispelled all my doubts about it in that single climb.

The rest of the ride was on dirt roads and single-track. I did get bogged down a few times - one during a tight switchback to a short climb and another on a short but steep rise - nothing major, just have to get used to the bike.

Bombing down dirt roads, the bike was super stable, where the Tingle would be a bit skittery. Smooth is how I'd describe the ride. This bike plain ROCKS.

And yes, we're riding again tomorrow!