I finally got the IF built up again, proper-like, with a Marzocchi 4X and a pair of Crossmax SX wheels. I would like to have kitted it out with a lighter fork, but the 4X is relatively unique in that it has no complex system of platform, lockout, or travel adjust; it's a simple, open-bath fork with 110mm travel out of the box, derived from the DJ1 fork, but with a lighter steerer and stanchions. Since I developed the geometry of my frame with the offset and the axle-to-crown dimensions of a 110mm travel Marzocchi, in the first place, I thought it best to fit the same to preserve the frame's geometry and ride quality. I'm not disappointed!
I took the bike for a shakedown ride tonight and instantly began to wonder why it was that I stripped the bike and left the bare frame hanging on a wall for so long. The geometry is something I dreamt up with the help of Matt Bracken and Brian Kelly, while they were still with the company, and it is based on the idea of a quintessential New England trail bike. I gave the frame a steep~ish head angle, and high~ish bottom bracket - neither pushed beyond reason, instead, gently tweaked to replicate old-time greats like the 1990s' EWR Woodsbike (recently revived) and Cannondale Beast of the East, but with a modern spin. Tyler Evans lent some of his fabrication mastery to the project and created a hand-formed box-gusset for the downtube/headtube junction, as well as a handful of other construction details that rounded out the stoutly-built frame, while still keeping the overall weight a scant under 5 pounds (not bad for a frame built with two downtubes and five chainstays).
The ride tonight, as one might expect, was fantastic. The bitter cold of the last couple of days moved out, and with snow and more freezing temps looming, I took full advantage of the brief window of opportunity and headed out, solo. I never like to get too far over my head when I'm riding alone in the dark, so I stuck to a trail I know well. Still, in the black of night, even this familiar trail held enough surprises to keep me on my toes.
My input seemed like mere suggestion, rather than command, as tires darted left and right beneath me, searching for traction through the fallen leaves and over damp, slick rock and roots, and while my headlamp produced a vignette of the trail that constantly changed with the ebb and flow of shadows. When I loosened up and let the bike do the work; magic. It rolled like water down the path of least resistance, carving turns and skipping through rock gardens; I'm sure it carried me with authority through lines I never would have seen in broad daylight. That's the charm of riding in the dark.
i have been coveting an EWR woods bikes ever since the shop owner of my childhood LBS let me ride his. He still has it and we even squwished the chainstays to fit a modern day tire in those uber short chainstays. your IF sounds like it must be a dream if it takes the best qualities of the EWR and the beast of the east.
ReplyDelete