OK so I’ve finally finished the Specialized build. I had some problems with the single speed conversion, when out of the seat and going up hills the chain was skipping on the front cog, making the chain shorter fixed the trick!
The bike feels slow on the road, mainly due to the fat tyres I think (especially the 2.5 wide front tyre). Off the seat pumping feels strange as the front suspension seems to zap a lot of energy, or it could be that I’m mighty unfit! Also, the clip in shoes and pedals once clicked in feel great but getting into them isn’t easy! Maybe I need to adjust them a little somehow.
The bike feels much more at home in my messy garden where I have a few steps and a bit of dirt to play with. Steps are strange with the new suspension, it feels soft but less predictable that with rigid forks, might just take some time to get used to.
All in all I’m just really looking forward to hitting some trails with it, hopefully this weekend!