Owner's Gallery: Frank B

Hi Carl, Finally got the bike built up and got a few rides in. WOW, it rides just as I expected: comfortably upright but very stable and fast, quick-turning but smooth, and climbs like a goat. Everything went together perfectly, from the headset races to the brake calipers, building it up was a breeze. And the fit is perfect. With a 6 degree stem and riser bar, like we discussed, all I had to do was adjust the saddle height, no fit issues at all. The slider dropouts are awesome, I can’t wait to set it up singlespeed. But right now I’m having a blast with the 1×9 gearing, haven’t found anything I can’t climb around here, yet. My riding buddies are saying things like “Frank, I’m impressed with the way your climbing on that bike” and “I can tell he likes that bike because every time I come up behind him, he accelerates”. I love the feel of the steel frame, it’s stiff when climbing out of the saddle, the rear stays stuck to the ground(and so does the front), then point it downhill and feel the subtle springyness make the trail come alive. It’s so well balanced, it seems to steer by thought. Thats the best way I can describe the feel of the bike. I really like the steel fork as well. It adds to the quick feel of the steering. Get the right amount of pressure in the tires(about 35-40) and you need the roughest parts of the trail to tell you that you’re on a rigid fork. This baby was made for long backcountry epics and I can hardly wait. Thanks for a wonderful experience in collaboration Carl. Despite my inadequate descriptions of what I wanted, you obviously read my mind. Frank Billue, Boise, Idaho