I sold the 5th Anniversary Special Edition bicycle to a gentleman in Utah a few weeks ago. After receiving, assembling, tuning and riding it for a bit I received this very nice testimonial last night:
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Tony, I’ve ridden the bike several times now and have to say that despite it not being custom fitted to my specs, it may as well have been!
I am very pleased with the handling and my body positioning on the bike. I’m one of those guys that likes going fast and riding long (60 mile round trip commutes with regular 50 mph descents and about 4000 ft of climbing) on the stiffest of carbon and aero aluminum frames. Despite my love of all things cycling, this has been my first foray into steel and wish I had been more retrospective from the beginning — the vertical compliance and solid feel of Abalone makes my carbon and aliminum bikes feel sketchy and unsubstantial by comparison. I realize not everyone can afford high-end custom steel frames, and that the marketing blitz of carbon “this” and affordable aluminum “that” seek to drive everyday cyclists into the misguided notion that steel is for old school types with tree trunk legs, barrel guts, and unkempt silver moustaches. I’ve had my ass handed to me on hill climbs by those types by the way, but I will never discount their preferences again.
Needless to say, you’ve gained a loyal customer and I count myself fortunate enough to possess what I consider one of the most fantastic bikes I have ever ridden.