For the first part of the year I struggled to get below 184 pounds, then suddenly a breakthrough. Now my scale typically reads 178 and it even hits 175 after a hard ride.
But the best part is I have obtained a level of fitness that allows me to keep my body temp regulated better. Part might be lower body fat allowing faster cooling, but part is probably more efficient energy use in not having the weight to carry.
Another odd thing that has happened in that I like riding my hardtail more again. I felt before like it beat me up, even though before I had a full-suspension bike, it was all I knew. But I have started to get my arms back and am finding the snappiness of my hardtail exciting again--especially out of the saddle. Sure, I'm not going to be riding it on all the rocky trails up in the mountains but it's sure fun to ride it on the local area trails that I would normally take a bike with a little more travel on.
