Now More Rigid

I got the new Salsa fork on the bike today and took it for an hour-long test at Gambrill, the rocky place. It rocked! It wasn't nearly as bad as I feared it might be. It's going to take me some time to get completely used to it and to re-learn how to do some things, but it was more fun than riding with a suspension fork. I wasn't able to go as fast on the rocky downhills, but that's okay. It felt like a rocket everywhere else, with nearly 2 lbs. taken off the front. I was able to keep the front wheel off the ground longer to clear obstacles too. Hopping logs was easier. About halfway through my ride I let some more air out of the new front tire I bought (Continental Mountain King 2.4", recommended by Jason Stoner) so that it had just 20 lbs in it. That helped, and traction at that pressure was fantastic. I didn't have any problems hitting the rim, surprisingly, but that may be in part because I wasn't bombing the descents. My hands, and the rest of me, didn't feel any worse than they normally would after a ride at Gambrill... though I was pedaling out of the saddle a bit more, and that worked the muscles in my back more. All in all I was very pleased, and left wondering if I'll ever go back to a suspension fork.