Out of the hospital, surgery is done & dusted!

Ok, I'm finally home from the hospital and I think I can say that I've had a pretty rough 4 days. I've been suffering from a bad deviated septum for years and I finally managed to get over myself and got the surgery done. 

All set...or that's what I thought anyway...

Basically it was a 4 days long thing. Went in on Monday and got the operation done straight away in the morning. Luckily I was put to sleep, so I missed the "horror" part of the game. Thank God. 

Then I woke up at about 2 pm and the real suffering started. My nose was fully stuffed up with dossils to avoid any trouble and to keep the internal bits in places. I also got kitted out with this beast looking sling type gear to keep the messy things inside. 

Pretty much after I woke up...

So, there I was...with my head heavy as hell from the anaesthetics and from the load of painkillers...and my nose is stuffed up to about 3 times bigger than normal. Always sleepy...always tired...generally knackered... 

The third day the Doctor removed about half of the dossils which was definitely some relief. Then the last day she took all of them out which was good of course but possibly the most painful and disturbing thing I've ever had... 

And now I am at home and started my recovery. Feeling a bit better but I'm miles away from normal. At least I can slowly breath through my nose already and the bleeding has stopped also. Great stuff! :) 

The good news is that the surgery went well and I will feel like a new guy in a few weeks time. The bad part is that I can't ride a bike for 4 weeks to avoid any risk of bleeding and infections. But hey, you always gotta pay the price, hah? 

So, cycling mode off, gaming mode on! Here we go, loads of fun to be had!! 

My last spin before surgery

Yep, it was my last spin for a little while for sure. I'm suffering pretty badly from a deviated septum, so I'll be heading to the hospital next Monday to get that bastard sorted out. Thanks to the surgery the problem will be solved but as a result I'll be off the bike for a little while...

Knowing that I wasted no time! Got on the single speed Niner and had a savage spin around the local trails trying to collect & store all the stuff I love about mountain biking. This should keep me going through the upcoming weeks! 

To be honest I'm super glad I'm getting rid of this annoying problem...but I freakin' miss cycling already!      

What time is it?! It's MTB time!!

Niner EMD 9 - SS // The first 500 km

The first 500 km is done in the saddle of this Niner EMD 9 single speed XC weapon. So, it's time to post a few words about my thoughs just as I always do after the first 500 km on a new bike. 

First and foremost I'm lovin' this bike! It's nice and light and has fantastic geometry. Niner really nailed the 29er XC geometry alright and it's very noticeable during every spin. Climbs well and has brilliant and sharp handling too. Just the way a proper 29er should be!

I've been riding the bike on loads of different terrain but pretty much only in dry summer conditions. So, I also look forward to dip into some sticky Hungarian mud and go a bit sideways on the trails. There's not too much to mention regarding of the parts as it's a very simple bike I have to say. The Avid, Truvativ and Mavic parts are a good combination, let this be enough. 

But let's see the bit more interesting details of the bike. The rigid carbon fork definitely forces you to ride your favourite trails a bit different way. You need to pick your lines more carefully and need to be very precise about where you aim that front wheel as there's very little room for error. Once you get used to it, it's a sweet ride. Surprisingly comfortable though! And of course it looks super sweet!

Now, let's chat about what it's like to ride a single speed bike off-road. It's freakin' hard...at the first few times, then you get used to it and it turns into something else. It's clean and pure without anything taking your focus away from the ride itself. Fantastic experience it is!

So, the first 500 km was a great opportunity to bond with this machine. I'm sure I'll have countless hours of fun and many off-road adventures in the saddle of the Niner. Can't wait!