I can’t recall the last time I was so excited to see a cardboard box; there it lay, cockeyed against the steps of my front door, my new race frame! The cargo of this box is what drives me to eat my veggies, finish my work ahead of time, and get out of bed early on the weekends. So, to finally receive this hotly awaited package was a moment of jubilation in my day – to say the least. I cancelled my plans for the rest of the day and set up shop in the garage with my myriad of tools and assorted parts that needed to be mounted up. A few mods later, and one trip down to the LBS and I was out and pedaling around the driveway!
I would have driven down to the local spot the moment the last bolt was tightened, but a massive thunderstorm rolled through and let loose nearly 2 inches of rain out of the sky. I would have been remiss if I hadn’t at least put the tires to some dirt, so I endured getting solidly soaked for the sake of some cutties on the front lawn – no deluge will stop me from giving my new steed the requisite post-build parking lot test! With the formalities addressed, I racked the new rig, and took my soggy self inside to think about all the sweet lines I was going to savage on this vessel of raditude.
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| Where the magic happens… |
Fast-forward 18 hours and we’re pedaling to the trail head, in massive humidity, no water, and zero fucks given – it’s Thursday, and the boys and I want to get in some quick evening laps, and I have a new bike to shake down! After the brief ascent to the inaugural track for DH’er, and the place I’m here to put a hurt on, I make sure to click on Strava, because I’m pretty sure a ride doesn’t count unless it’s being timed and KOMs are at stake…but I digress: I flew. The ground couldn’t keep up with me. The run felt effortless in spite of my best efforts to dive into the apex several times, instead of through it, and generally being a hooligan too excited to really focus on the task at hand.
At the end of the brief session in the woods with the homies, my conclusion about my new investment was thus: two thumbs up; gold star; top marks. As I get more saddle time in, we shall see how the full-susser susses out on a whole, but in the mean time, I am going to revel in the sweet drift I held, the off-line encounter with some rocks, and the general excellent functioning of the well-designed metal I will be straddling at a race near you. Author’s note: it wheelies like nobody’s business. This is the hallmark of a great bike and literally the only thing I grade bikes on. A bike that wheelies well is a sure sign of a bike you ought to own as well.