Originally Posted by cudak888

First impressions: The front end of this thing is fantastic. Obviously, it is slightly whippy given that the headtube and stack is so tall, and the bars so narrow, but nothing worse than what you might find from, say, metric 531. I've never ridden a PX10, but I've ridden the 1979/80 PY10 NY International Bike Show prototype, and the front end handling feels very much like that.

It feels surprisingly stable at the top speed I brought it up to (19.5mph according to the phone GPS) even with one hand. It does tend to shimmy if you're being sloppy with the handling, but I'm certain that is the the fork return spring playing silly buggers with the handling and not the inherent geometry of the design itself. The spring will cause the front end to oscillate unnervingly if you attempt to ride it hands off, but - once again - not a geometry issue. Given what I built this for, I'm glad to give up no-hands riding for the benefit of the spring keeping the fork straight when the whole thing is parked.

This said, it is also extremely smooth and maneuverable at low speed. It is not skittish and doesn't at all resemble a stock Twenty. Nor does it resemble the next thing I own in the small-wheeled department - my 18" Birdy BD-1 (which is more skittish than a trapped rat). As a matter of fact, it is the first small-wheel bike I've ever ridden that feels as if there's a 700C up front, but without the extra rotating mass.