This was my first ride on the Trek Top Fuel 9 that I just picked up last night at Trek. Steve did a great job setting up the bike for me. He adjusted the air pressure in both shocks for my body weight, he adjusted the seat post (cut it down), and he gave me a great tutorial on the bike.
What a wonderful ride. Great suspension, great shifting, great brakes, great shock lock-out, and great light weight at 26.5 lbs.
On top of all that, it was a wonderful day weather-wise.
The last time over this exact course I was on my old Mt. bike and the results were entirely different. I was working harder, I was having to dismount of tough stretches, I was hitting rocks with my pedals. My gearing was unsatisfactory, My braking was uneven, my recents were nerve wracking, and I was mostly gasping for air.
That chunk of desert is just beautiful and finally, today on my new bike, I got to enjoy it.