First Day On The Felt Q720 2009 Mountain Bike

As promised, some thoughts about the bike after a first day commuting on it - and a trip to the local bike shop to get essentials (and a few non essentials). The shopping list ended up having the following on it;Bontrager Stay Guard, to stop the chain taking paint off the frame Cat Eye “Single Shot” 11,000 candle power Rechargeable front light Cat Eye LD610 rear light Crud Catcher front and rear mudguards Huge can of PTFE spray (lubricant) Bottle of Finish Line wet weather oil Cat Eye Velo 5 Cycle Computer All the kit is now on the bike, and I’m somewhat thankful I got the PTFE spray - as murphys law would naturally dictate, the cycle to and from work was accompanied by persistent rain. The front crudcatcher only just fits between the gear cables on the down-tube, but I don’t think it will cause any problems (if it does, I’ll put outers on them). So what do I think of the bike so far? Main difference over my old GT bike is that the Felt Q720 2009 seems to be far more stiff - and therefore much more positive when pedalling hard. This could be newness, or it could be the different riding position. Not really sure yet. The bottom bracket is lower, which affords my legs more room to stretch out - something I have not known on my last several bikes. The saddle is perhaps the biggest let down so far - I can feel the structure of it on my inner thighs while pedalling; on a long ride that could cause quite a bit of pain. The tyres that came on the bike are typical no name knobblies - but at least they are a fairly circular section, so the rolling resistance isn’t ridiculous. It remains to be seen how long they will last on the road. I was a bit annoyed with the cycle computer; granted, I got the cheapest one in the shop, but it’s bracket doesn’t allow it to be mounted on the handlebar stem - I’ve had to put it on the handlebar itself. It would have been nice to keep the handlebars clear. As winter sets in I will no doubt have a chance to try the front light. I thought I had spent a lot on it until one of my colleagues (a true mountain bike nerd - in the best sense of the term) showed me what he has on his bike for riding at night… he mentioned something about having to switch his lights off while standing still for any length of time for fear of them overheating. The only two more things I might consider over the next few months are a new helmet, and some proper mountain bike shoes. I used to own a pair, and they made a huge difference. I checked prices on the internet (Amazon and Wiggle), but will have to try them in a store. Going to proper shoes will mean SPDs too though, which I have never used before (I had cages in the past, but not for a few years). As I said to my mountain bike riding colleague earlier, if the bike lasts three or four years, it will have paid for itself. If I can use it on weekends and evenings too for fun, all the better.