First things first, a big thanks to Jon Skene of Don Skene Cycles (Cardiff, UK) for hooking me up with this ride for 2013. I'm very proud to be part of their team, and hopefully I'll get them some podiums... fingers crossed
I've been riding an old Devinci Wilson for the last 4 years also a Horst link so when I tried a Demo a few months ago the suspension felt natural to me. The super-short rear end suits me too, I like lively/poppy bikes.
It's guaranteed to be a LOT stiffer at the rear end than my Devinci was... I hope this is a good thing. I'm sure it is. Friends would often joke about the "sideways travel" on my Devinci, even with all-new bearings on it. I secretly hoped that maybe this was a good thing - enabling the bike to choose its own line rather than getting pinged off of stuff... Maybe.
There's no doubt that the off-the-shelf bike is an absolute steal at it's retail price of £4000 in the UK, but since I had a bunch of parts lying around the house I've made a few changes to it from stock, part weight-saving, part personal preference.
Renthal bars/stem, switched from SRAM to Shimano gearing. Lighter saddle/seatpost/pedals, etc. The dura-ace mech I'm using is at least 4 years old now, and still arrow straight with not a hint of slop in it. I'll run it until it dies!
Its first ride and set-up will be this weekend, can't wait. Going to be uplifting a few local tracks with some friends I've not ridden with since last season, good times.
I've been riding an old Devinci Wilson for the last 4 years also a Horst link so when I tried a Demo a few months ago the suspension felt natural to me. The super-short rear end suits me too, I like lively/poppy bikes.
It's guaranteed to be a LOT stiffer at the rear end than my Devinci was... I hope this is a good thing. I'm sure it is. Friends would often joke about the "sideways travel" on my Devinci, even with all-new bearings on it. I secretly hoped that maybe this was a good thing - enabling the bike to choose its own line rather than getting pinged off of stuff... Maybe.
There's no doubt that the off-the-shelf bike is an absolute steal at it's retail price of £4000 in the UK, but since I had a bunch of parts lying around the house I've made a few changes to it from stock, part weight-saving, part personal preference.
Renthal bars/stem, switched from SRAM to Shimano gearing. Lighter saddle/seatpost/pedals, etc. The dura-ace mech I'm using is at least 4 years old now, and still arrow straight with not a hint of slop in it. I'll run it until it dies!
Its first ride and set-up will be this weekend, can't wait. Going to be uplifting a few local tracks with some friends I've not ridden with since last season, good times.