I'm addicted. The partial answer to why I chose to ride the cyclocross bike around the North Downs on Sunday (after watching the Olympic Road Race test event for motivation). "Are you riding your cross bike because you have no other bikes that work?" asked Gareth from Singular. He knows me too well, so that was the second reason. The expression 'Manana' certainly applies to my cycle maintenance so with no MTB it had to be the cross bike.
Whatever the reason though, there I was after 2 hours of dry, dusty, rooty, fast trails still managing not to get dropped - too badly. Riding with 3 others, all of which were on MTBs, meant I was the odd one out and the rider occasionally screaming at the back. But man, those trails are FUN on a cross bike! Non more so than when unintentionally airborne off a rocky drop-off or diving down a large bombhole, hands firmly locked into the drops. Like a Spitfire pilot at the Battle of Britain, diving, swooping, banking and dodging the enemy. Roots and rocks in this case.
What made the smile so big, apart from the sun, good company and fine trails was the carbon Kinesis CSix. It's one hell of a ride! I've got a size 54, which on paper is too small for me, but actually gives the bike an amazingly sprightly ride and one where the bike can be flicked around at ease. Bunnyhops and quick changes of direction are instinctive and climbing is rocket fast. Literally
NO flex. From anywhere. Harsh, you'd think but it's not. No loss of feeling in the fingers and only a hint of shoulder ache this morning after 2 hours of bone shaking action. On a Kinesis theme the fork -
the RC09 - can get you into a lot of trouble, in a good way. Zero judder (a saviour at last!) and awesome tracking means you hit sections far faster than you were hoping/fearing. My other new love is the
SoftTouch Fi'zi:k bartape. I normally can't ride anywhere without gloves, certainly in summer being a sweatboy, but this tape is excellent. No slip, absorbs and wicks away sweat and give a great feel to the bars. Like a gentle caress. It's one of those rides where it all seems to come together, despite being on "the wrong bike".
All in all a truly eye-opening afternoons riding and a crash course in bike handling skills. It felt fast and bumpy as hell but as another friend and cyclocrosser Shaggy Ross once said "On a cross bike it's a hot line if you get through with any punctures." I'm a cyclocross god then! Woohoo!
Although checking the bike this morning both tyres are now flat. Back to the drawing board . . .