Man Of Steel

This is Kev, my friend, TBE customer, racer and the proud owner of a new steel IF Deluxe. Kev's a self proclaimed weight-weenie, putting light weight before everything else. A condition that now seems to be in remission thanks to his new IF. Not that his IF is heavy coming in fully built at 24lbs.

I was going to write this long winded blog entry about aluminum vs steel and weight savings vs durability/performance and how Kev arrived at his purchase but then Kev posted his review of his new ride on a local message board. I decided to let his post speak for itself.

In Kev's own words

"Mike is going love this one.

First things first, this is the best bike I've ever ridden. The steel does make a difference. It has a very solid feel to it that inspires confidence. Those of you that ride with me know that I'm big chicken when it comes to catching air. When we were at Schaefer and Patapsco the other day and I found myself jumping off small water bars and humps in the trail. It also rides lighter than the 24.4 pounds that it weighs. It's really easy to climb, I was making stuff at Patapsco that has given me trouble in the past, even on my Klein. It might be due to the lower front end of this bike with its 80 mm travel fork. It also has a dampening charateristic that you can't quite put your finger on. It seems to take a slight edge off. I can't wait to take it out on an Endurance ride.

All in all I'm very happy. Thanks to Tom for the hook up. The only problem I have now is that the Klein might be gathering dust for awhile."