I’ve been testing and breaking in my Airborne B-29 bike over the past ~week or so. It is still too early to tell for sure, but initially I really like the bike and the big wheels.
Highlights include cleaning Golden Gate Pass on the first try (and first ride of the bike) and blasting down Red Pass in the Tumocacorri Mountains. It definitely rides much smoother than my chameleon.
I am conviced that it is a great bike for rocky and/or washboarded roads, or for moderately technical singletrack. I am not sure, but it almost looks like it could also be a better bike for challenge climbs. The front end seems high and a bit harder to control, but traction seems to be in abundance & that’s usually the name of the game.
It feels fast (almost too fast) on downhills like finger rock wash. In fact I almost took out a hiker who was hiking up at night. I had no way of seeing him until I was on top of him and he “mis judged how fast I was going.” I apologized profusely and told him I’d be more careful in the future (I have never seen a hiker there at night before). I felt really bad since I have never been so close to hitting a hiker before. As I rode home through the streets of Tucson I thought about an encounter Paula and I had with a clueless driver just the day before. It was quite a contrast. She almost hit both of us head-on, driving on the wrong side of the street. She was pulling out of an apartment complex to park on the wrong side of the street (backwards).
CD (clueless driver): “You should have lights!” I shine my handlebar light and helmet light in her face.
CD: “Oh, I couldn’t see them.”
RC (reckless cyclist): “No, you were only looking for headlights, and you’re driving on the WRONG side of the street.”
CD: “No I wasn’t, I was just parking.”
RC: “It is ILLEGAL to park that way.”
RC: “Please be more careful in the future.”
Personal responsibility folks. It’s not that hard.
The only downside of the bike so far is that it looks too good. Every time (no joke) I’ve ridden across campus on my way to TMP I’ve had someone ride up beside me and comment on the bike. I can do without that.
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