Riding the Cobia

I've never owned a 29er before. And while I like the bike, the geometry is something I need to get used to.

The first thing I noticed was the huge difference between the handlebar height. I swapped my seat and peddles out from my old Rockhopper because my Cobia didn't come with SPDs and the saddle was pretty solid. I prefer my posh gel-filled seat.

After I swapped out components, I took my Rockhopper for one last ride before I pass it onto my little brother.

As I said before, the geometry is very different. Both frames are 19", but the Cobia's down tube meets up with the top and head tubes much sooner than my Rockhopper. Additionally the top tube has an upangle (as many bikes do these days) which makes the stand-over height change as you move forward on the bike.

Because my Rockhopper's headset was much lower in comparison to the seat than the Cobia, my position was much more hunched over. This made for numb fingers after a long ride, but made for excellent climbing position because a lot of my weight was over the front tire.

During my ride on Saturday, I noticed that, because I was in more of an upright position, my technical climbing ability was limited. My front wheel tended to lose traction and sometimes lift off the ground. I maybe looking at adding some bar-ends before too long.

On the technical uphills, where my Rockhopper would climb, my Cobia would scramble.

This was somewhat disconcerting as I'd just dropped over a thousand bucks on the thing.

But, as I thought about it, I reminded myself that this bike wasn't purchased for technical climbing. It was purchased for steady climbing, cross country rides, and long hours in the saddle. The geometry, while not suited for mountain goat-like climbs, is perfect for the slow and steady sort of trails I intend it take it on. I imagine the tingling fingers so familiar when on the Rockhopper, will be gone with the Cobia.

I just need to accept that there will be some hike-a-bike episodes on the technical uphills.


Bonneville Shoreline Trail.