Went to the skate park last week for the first time since Christmas, some 10 weeks before! A New Year with some new-to-me bars, having picked up some secondhand S&M Hoder bars in chrome. They're the Superhigh model, so 9.75" rather than the 9.25" rise I was after but the price was right and I’m a sucker for shiny chrome! Plus they'd already been cut down (from the original 31" width to 28.75”), thus saving me a job.
I'd also switched up the tyres, buying a larger 2.2" Rant Squad for the front and putting the 2.0" Vee Mk3 on the rear. Depending on tyre clearance with both fork and rear chain stays, I may get an even wider tyre for the front and put the Rant on the back but that's a job for another day.
With those changes to the bike, I was therefore keen to see how everything felt at the park. I was super rusty to begin with, failing to spin out of fakies until I warmed up and got my sh#t together! It was great to get out there though, and I was happy enough just pumping around the place, getting air off hip jumps and playing around on the quarter pipes. Bike-wise, the Hoders felt fine. I was a bit worried that they’d make the bike feel way different but the only thing I really noticed was how shiny they are!! That and the fact they could be cut down some more if I really wanted. Looking down at them as I ride, I reckon I could lose another half an inch off either side without noticing. That said, I don’t do bar spins or other tricks that warrant worrying about it though, so will leave them as they are, at least for the time being. As expected, the new tyre set-up also felt fine, with no issues. The Rant sounds different to the Vee Mk3 but that was it. So overall, a successful session, though my back was a bit sore the next day. As were my shoulders!
Recent Posts
