I love my Titus Racer-X and decided to look into getting more of a trail bike as a second bike to broaden my riding experience with all the rocks we have around here in northern New Jersey. A big thanks goes out to my sponsors Campmor, Titus, and Easton, in helping me make this happen. Luckily I had some extra parts stashed, waiting for this special day. My new Moto-lite is spec’d with a Fox Talas fork, and a combination of XTR, Sram, and Easton parts. It weighs in at an impressive 25.8 pounds with beefy tires. Being a wimpy 120 pound chick, I hope it is the right combination of lightness and durability, as it is highly unlikely that I will ever be "hucking meat".
This past week, I put the Moto-lite through the virgin test ride and all I can say is … WOW! I rode some of the most technical trails up at Skyline, Ringwood and Blue Mountain and the bike handled the trails perfectly, being nimble, plush and forgiving. Even with a 110mm stem, I was able to split my tires around rocks in tight turns, and nail it every time. The bike feels like it could climb up a wall if I had the gas. The rear did rob some power in comparison to the racer-x, but it was not as noticeable on short climbs. The ride feel instilled confidence in both climbing and descending and did not demand too much finesse, creating a relaxing ride. At one point I clipped a tree at speed, and very calmly rode out the deflection.
I rode the fork in the 120mm position but still need to try the 140. I may also need to firm up the rear suspension a bit for my liking, and still need to play with the pro- pedal, but overall my impressions were positive. If I wasn't laughing, I was smiling the whole time while riding. I am looking forward to some more riding on this bike. I may even try the Super-D at National Championships at Mt Snow. The bike certainly seems worthy of super-D, probably more than I, and after one week of riding, I think it might be fun to try and chase some others down the mountain.
Tis the season ... get out and ride!!!
- Ellen
