Well the whole original spec thing has gone out the window and I decided to just ride the thing....
Me at the Lakes National ride:
It was very good on the technical sections - I only had one pedal strike on the whole ride because of the high BB, it was amazing threading my way through rocky sections without a worry.
So despite all the NOS stuff on it I rode it to the top of a big hill..
Uphill it was absolutely brilliant, even out of the saddle with my weight forward I barely got wheelspin even on loose rocky sections. It was unreal.
Downhill it was a bit different, I did feel like I was perched on top of the bike and it felt a little unstable. The steering was perfect though, even with the rigid forks. However the brakes were beyond cack. Really bad, the bike could go faster than the brakes would stop me so something is going to have to change.
I am thinking that a nice set of red Maguras would be well in keeping with the intended design of the frame and provide a nice sharp response....
I am also thinking that some 60mm travel suspension forks would make it even more capable - I'm not saying it needs it, more like it is so capable it would open up more of its potential with a bit of bounce up front. Marzocchi would be the only option for me as they actually
work......
