I am the proud new father of a new (frame only) bike weighing in at 30 lbs on a 21" frame. This
fast black bike will surely provide me with years of pleasure as long as I ride it hard and
raise it well.
I went to the fall Toronto (there are flurries out my window now if anyone cares) bike show last
weekend just to check it out but ended up picked up a 2003 Epic (anyone heard of it?) frame for $900
CDN. I was able to swap all my old parts onto it. I also have enough parts lying around to re-build
my old frame.
Without going into too much detail as it has been done enough here, the bike handles, climbs and
descends beautifully. The brain works as described but does have an unknown long term reliability.
I'm used to a hardtail so I have not yet noticed frequent complaints from people saying it is
inconsistent upon activation. The geometry of the bike with a steep top tube suits me much better
than my old bike. Mind you, I have only had two rides on it. The bike is heavy and I do like light
bikes but I'm no weight weenie. I don't race, I just ride (and crash) hard. Getting rid of a saddle
and pedals that weigh over a pound per set is a good start to shaving weight off if I want.
However, buying the bike at exorbitant retail prices does not seem sensible to me. If you like the
hardtail feel, you are better off keeping a hardtail. You can get one custom made with the best
parts for less. If you want a dually, you can do likewise. Standard rear shocks can be adjusted to
almost eliminate pedal bob, with the right bike geometry.
By far the best part of this for me is that I can sell my old bike to a friend at a great deal of
$500 CDN and get him hooked on the best sport out there. So I get a new frame that suits me better
for only a little more money in my case, I get rid of parts lying around that I'll never use and I
get a great poor guy on a great bike for little money.
Time to shut up and ride..
SDC