I have a little problem here. My Gary Fisher Cake 2 DLX and I have never gotten along. And I’m about to get back into long-distance mountain biking again, since I’ve been roped into joining the duo team “Lost Nuts” in the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo.
The Gary Fisher has just never fit me well. It’s always been a bit too long in the travel department for me, and I’ve just never felt comfortable on it. So I think it’s finally, really, truly New Bike Time for me. I’m an Arizona rider, so that means a lot of rocky madness.
Here’s what I’m considering:
1. Curtlo Advanced Mountaineer – A custom-made steel hardtail. Some of you tyros may never have ridden a steel hardtail. You might think I’m crazy. But a quality steel hardtail is light, rugged, low-maintenance and snappy. Take care of it, and it will keep riding after the flavor-of-the-month carbon wonder machine is delaminating in the landfill. Doug Curtiss, according to his site, builds these to suit each individual rider’s body, preferences and riding conditions – making the already-great steel hardtail even better with attention to detail.
2. Santa Cruz Superlight – A simple, rugged full suspension bike. It’s a proven winner – I’ve owned two bikes from Santa Cruz, and both delighted me with super fit and killer ride quality. They’re also reasonably price and handle snappy as all get-out. You can spend a lot more money on a full-suspension bike – but you can’t get all that much better.
I’m leaning toward [...]
Flyin', Bikin' and Arizona Adventures
