I wub cycling.
For as long as I can remember I have been nutz about cycling. Being a city boy I was naturally crazy about BMX's but once I hit my teens I got the mountain bike vibe pretty strong. My first decent off road rig was a Gary Fisher 1991 Super Calibre, which at the time was awesome...in hindsight the design has not aged well but hey when I was riding that rig I did not have a care in the world.
I pretty much rode the Gary Fisher for nigh on 8 years before cracking the frame, Not being particularly flushed with funds at the time i had to wait and save up before getting a new rig. My next choice was a Kona Cinder Cone 2000, a truly awesome hardtail bike that cemented my appreciation for one of the greatest Bike manufacturers out there (thank you Canada ).
^ An example of a Cinder Cone 2000 (mine was Orange).
That bike served me well allowing me to rip up trials just outside of London, i got into dirt jumping on that rig which was awesome. But the Kona paid the price and I cracked the frame good and proper while jumping in late 2002...fracturing an ankle in the process . Having spent over a decade maintaining and riding the Kona I mourned its passing.
So off to the shop I went again and this opted for a Cannondale Chase 2. A purpose built jump bike that tore up the dirt and flew like an eagle. This rig gave me hours upon hours of biking fun alternating between trail riding, jumping and every monday it was refit for a week of commuting across the city (Thinner rims and tires).
^ Modern version of the Chase 2.
But as I got older my working hours got longer, and opportunities to hit the woodlands, hills and other rural settings at the weekends got fewer and fewer. To the point that riding a heavy mountain bike for across the city to commute to work became the mainstay of my time on the bike, which kind of shot down the benefits of using the mountain bike regularly (they are not after all designed for speedy journeys on tarmac). So I decided to buy a second rig, this time a hybrid design which combines Mtn Bike relative toughness and durability with less weight and increased speed.
^ Dew Deluxe in Brown..I got it in Black.
For this I went back to Canada's finest Kona Bikes, purchasing their Dew Deluxe Hybrid design earlier this week. It is a total city bike and zips around so much quicker than my Cannondale but still has that inherent Mtn Bike feel. I love this bike! and my journey time to and from work has had a good 15 minutes or so shaved off the total time .
So anyone else nutz about bikes?
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