Back home, but tired...
I just got home a few minutes ago from my visit to Badger Cycles. It was a good visit. Not that the previous visit was not great, but this one was better. I got to see the new shop, and my new bike.
It is not all good news though...I discovered a problem with my Phil BB the other day as I removed it from my KM frame...I will have to send it in for service, but Rob hooked me up with some really nice loaner cranks and BB while my Phil is going in for a bearing upgrade.
A super-brief recap of the visit: I drove all over Kansas looking for the new shop, found it, built up the frame (or rather watched Rob do it), talked a lot with Rob, rode the new bike, talked with Rob some more, and finally left to come home with my new friend (the Badger).
I always get a kick out of talking to Rob (he has a lot of interesting experiences to share). Today I was pretty quiet though. I was taking in the experience of getting acquainted with this new ride.
First impression was that the color turned out really well...These pictures (and probably any others) do not do it justice. The black base is overlain with a green pearl coat (and a clear coat). In most photos (and low light) the frame appears black, but when the conditions are right it sparkles a brilliant emerald green. The additional graphics are understated, I think that this detracts less from the clean lines of the frame. You will either have to take my word for it, or see the bike in person...I don't think my photography will ever cut it.
The build up was fairly uneventful (Rob had done all of the prep work while I was searching for the shop). I was quite anxious to hop on for a ride. Rob seemed equally anxious to see me do the same.
A few minutes later we were at Perry Lake for a ride on some single track ranging from very rough hard pack to extremely rocky terrain. I have no idea how long we rode, but I felt like I could have ridden a lot longer.
I should start out by saying that I had assumed that this would be like most other new bikes...you get all excited, hop on and ride, you like it, but it takes a while to get used to, and after a bit of time, you get accustomed to the change and really start appreciating the machine. That is sort of what happened, but I had not expected to become so comfortable so fast. In a matter of minutes, I found myself pushing faster and harder in turns and attacking rocky climbs with vigor, and bombing descents as if fleeing attack. I assume that things will continue to improve as I spend more time on the bike, but even if they don't, I will still be impressed.
Among the things I noticed so far:
1. Raising the front end seems to only require will (not effort).
2. The faster steering angle seems to result in much less upper body effort to direct your approach....point and go. (perhaps less fatigue on longer rides?) Some riders might feel that a steeper steering angle is "twitchy", but the sense of balance I felt seemed to compensate and allowed me to conserve that energy I usually expend shoving the front end around.
3. The bike seems to want to go. Slight input to the cranks seems to result in rapid acceleration. It feels very, very light in this regard. I should point out that while the BB area felt stiff and responsive, I was using different cranks and gear ratio (than usual)...so perhaps the frame is not the only cause.
4. The bike feels different in almost every way from my KM, yet I have a lot of confidence on it after only one ride (I want to say "complete" confidence, but will reserve that term for a few more rides).
5. It climbs like a goat, and descends like a bullet.
I am hesitant to go off gloating about this bike after only one ride, but so far so good. Perhaps tomorrow the new geometry will bite me in the ass, but I really enjoyed what I observed today. I will keep you posted.
Now for some pictures....
A bit under 25 pounds fully ready to ride. A different choice in tires could shave a LOT of weight, but these Nevegals are a lot of fun.
Sterling silver head badge by Jen Green.
Some custom paint graphics...something I have on all my bikes.
At the trail head...ready to roll.
class act
Dude that bike is a class act - totally sweet looking from end to end. The colors work really well too. I can see that the green comes through nicely in the close up photo.
And that Brooks! Yowsah!
You gotta post up s'more close ups of this baby.
Will do...
I just got finished doing some more work on it. I re-tensioned the wheels (took only a few minutes and was surprisingly easy), I changed the gear (did you know that a 34x20 requires EXACTLY the same chainstay length as a 32x18 after you remove one link from the chain?), and I rechecked torque on everything (stem bolts, brake bolts, etc.)
I am dog tired after staying up late last night driving, but I want to ride anyway. I am expecting that today will not go as well as yesterday given this fact.
I figure going back to my standard gear ratio will eliminate some mystery as to what is to credit for the lightening fast acceleration this bike seems to have....just riding around the hood with my kids, it is apparent that the stiffness and snappiness is still there...only now with a more familiar gear. The fact that I do not get on top of the gear as quickly (duh) leads me to believe that part of the sensation was gearing, but there is still a noticeable difference with this frame.
Any requests for pictures?....May be a montage is in order?
The Montage
I did not take the time to really clean the spider webs and dust off from yesterday's ride (I figure this is the natural state). Hope you all enjoy this, it was quick and fun to make. You still need to see it in person, and throw a leg over it to get the full effect...
You look good in a thong
You look damn good in that thong.
Actually I did know that
This surprises you? Of course it takes the same chain length. Each tooth requires exactly ½ a link. If it didn't the chain would not stay on the cog.
But why take the link out? Are you at the rear extent of the sliders? If not, the extra link should give you room to go to a larger cog if you ever want to. Plus you'll have extra tire clearance in the stays.