How tall are you? What's your inseam? any bike fit considerations that are unique?
I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam, so that means I have relatively short legs and a longer torso.
What size frame?
I'm riding a medium frame.
What’s your build spec?
My steel Tyaughton has the NX build. The "cheap and cheerful" mentality resonates with me; I ride with friends who are much better, and I also ride with my family and kids on mellower stuff. Being that this is basically my only bike, I also bike commute with the kids from school as well. It wouldn't "feel right" for me to option this bike any higher in spec, at least for now. In terms of personal touches, I've got a camera-themed top cap and spacers from MASH. I've also swapped to a OneUp Switch oval chainring. I'm still feeling out the oval vs round thing, so the jury is still out.
What are you running in your cockpit?
What’s the intended use (where are you riding it)?
When I'm riding with friends who are better, we primarily ride on the North Shore (Mount Fromme, Mount Seymour) and in Coquitlam (Eagle Mountain, and Burke Mountain). We do the occasional shuttle up Mount Seymour but it's pedal power most of the time. When I'm riding with the family, we generally stick to the lower and easier trails on those mountains, and sometimes Watershed Park. In terms of trails, I like flow trails, janky trails, rolls, drops, and I have a complicated relationship with skinnies (I like the idea of riding them, but I'm garbage at it). Basically, I like riding everything. I've never ridden park though. I'm open to idea, but haven't had a strong urge to pursue it yet.
Where do you live?
I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I'm about 25 minutes by car to the North Shore.
What’s your favourite trail?
This is a tough one since I like so many different trails for different reasons. I rode Pipeline and Lower Oilcan on Mount Fromme very recently and they're definitely candidates for favourites. Sometimes, trails come back into a favourite position too. For example, I'm really enjoying John Deer on Mount Seymour and because of the Tyaughton's modern geometry, I was able to enjoy some of the features that kept me and my previous bike away.
Why do you love your new ride?
It's easy to love the Tyaughton, especially coming from my previous bike. The Tyaughton basically unlocks more trails and more parts of trails, so I can enjoy mountain biking even more. The Tyaughton also looks super classy, it's clean and elegant, the colour (and the bike in general) finds the perfect balance between being too flashy and blending forgettable. I'm also often the only hardtail rider in a group of full suspension bikes, so that adds to the uniqueness.
