Friday, May 29, 2009

The Amp ...and... PAIN is a part of this game




Amp
This is my 1st blog...My name is Jim. I live and work in Taiwan. Rob (Goulet) is my younger brother. I like to ride bikes and build jumps/trails. I also like long walks on the beach, watermelons and man bags.
I have ridden a number of hard tails in the past including the specialized P3, but no other hard tail that I have ever ridden compares to the banshee amp. I have only had the Amp for about a month, but it didn't take long for me to discover that this bike was special.
I like to hit dirt jumps and just any plain old jump. With the Amp it almost feels like it does the work for me. The first thing I said to Goulet was that it felt as though I did not have to do anything. The Amp was doing it for me. My previous bikes were a little on the heavy side, but to be honest I did not think weight would have a big effect on riding performance. The AMP is light and has definitely changed my mind.
Not only is the Amp a great DJ bike, it is also a smooth ride. Just like a nice asian gal, the Amp is smooth through the corners and pumps fast over the rollers.

Pain
Pain hurts! haha I grew up playing sports so I am no stranger to a little pain. And if you want to improve on your bike, then you are bound to have a crash or two. I just wish I was 18 again, I would even settle for 26. I started riding a bike a little late in life and need to make up for lost time. Living in Taiwan I can ride all year round so I can improve quickly, but trying new tricks requires a bunch of crashes. And Crashes and injuries go hand in hand... I have been trying to learn how to tail whip and after about 100 crashes, I almost landed one.. but on the one that I almost landed I left my left foot behind me and rolled over on it pretty bad. My ankle is still not 100%, and I walk with a slight limp most days. I am slowly getting back into the saddle and hope to be tail whipping soon.
I modified a jump today and we were hitting it to see how it felt... It just wasn't throwing us up enough.. it threw me funny and I came down on my sore ankle, and then Rob (Goulet) crashed and re-hurt his bum knee. ( I am sure he will tell you about it) But watching him go down and seeing how much pain he was in, was not a pleasant sight... But hey, crashing and pain is part of this game!