“New Bicycle”.
Two words that really get a guy like me excited. It’s not every day I get to piece together a bike from scratch with the exact components I want. I just had a chance to do this, and let me tell you it was worth the effort. Last week I finally ironed out all the hiccups in the new build and took the new Giant Anthem X 29er out for her maiden voyage. This marks a paradigm shift for me. I no longer own a 26 inch wheeled bicycle and I can honestly say I don’t miss it. I drank the Kool-Aid, and it was quite tasty.
I have not had a chance to name this bike, but it is coming. We are working through some personality and fit issues but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am already understanding the quirks and strange behaviors this bike is showing me. I believe riding a 29 inch wheel bike in the terrain that we live and race in is a big advantage. I am already seeing my fastest lap times on this new bike at a much lower perceived effort level than my other rides. This is going to be the bike I will race my next 24 hour race on. I will keep the carbon stumpy as a backup/single speed ride, but the Giant will be my go to bike for longer distance races. She comes in pretty light also, 23.8 pounds with pedals. I know they say “It’s not about the bike” and I believe them…. But let me tell you, having a bike like this sure makes things a lot more fun :)
I want to end this post with something my coach told me after I complained how tough the workout he assigned me was.....
"Sword blades are forged in the heat of an unforgiving furnace. You wanna be a sword, you got to take the heat".
Well…. I am ready. Let’s go.
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