Today I installed the silver 100mm stem again. Also re-adjusted the stack pre-load to just about zero without play. Now the ride is much less twitchy. It is still slightly nervous and I'm going to give the fork credit for that.
This bike's geometry is very different than the 1995 GT Tempest that I usually ride. So the ride will take some kilometers to get used to. That said, I took it out for a 40km ride today with 900m of elevation gain (and then loss!) and I must say that this bike is almost nearly impressive. I honestly can't say that I'm too impressed with the frame, but it aint bad. The build is but top notch and exactly what I needed as an upgrade to the GT.
First off, the disc brakes make downhill an absolute breeze. With 1 finger I got all the power I needed. The wide(er) wheels allowed me also to run less tire pressure on my tubeless setup which allowed better handling and grip.
The steel frame put together with the low tire pressure makes this ride feel like it has a suspension. With the front tire at 1.8bar and rear at 2.0, I took some seriously rocky terrain at speed and didn't feel a thing. This is where I was impressed.
The frame itself is just okay. Nothing special. But damn it looks good.
Note: chainsuck 3 times on the ride today gave the chain-stay it's first scars.
Plans: My wife was right, this bike would look great in all-silver. I will sand the fork and seatpost before bringing them to my favorite auto shop for a professional paint-job of the most metallic, chrome-like paint they can do.
Most importantly, before (and after) the ride today I spent some quality time with the fam:
