How about that new bike?!
Earnest: Once I got it at that second team camp, me and [team mechanic] Andy [Lund] worked really hard and really well to delve into what I like, what would benefit my riding style, and how I attack the sort of terrain and race track to make it most beneficial for me.
So we played a little bit on setups and different stuff. And even simple stuff like shortening my bars, or changing the pivot points. But it was really amazing when I put feet on that bike, and it was such a different bike for how similar it is. Like, we made just a couple changes to the bike, but it really showed how much input the boys gave last year when we went to the last camp in Wisconsin, and it reflected my riding as well.
What are the characteristic differences that you feel going from the old bike to the proto?
Earnest: This one is lighter, but it’s still really planted, which I like about the Trek bikes. It just allows me to go through the rough stuff really easily because I’m not the strongest person. But then also this one, we’ve made it a bit longer, and a bit more playful in how it’s set. I’m set a lot higher, and now I can just have fun on the bike and pick it up a bit more on jumps and rocks and stuff, and have a bit of freedom to move, rather than just aiming to be planted 24/7. I think that’s what my 2024 race bike was, just going through the rock stuff really fast. But then when it came to the more technical sections, I was a bit limited.
