“Have you ever been on a cross bike?” That’s the question that kept cropping up every time I mentioned my new Airborne bike. “Not really, but I have been on a road bike once.” That was my only answer. As a Mmember of the Flight Crew we are given bikes to test, ride, and review. When the guys at Airborne asked me what bike I would like, without hesitation I decided on the Delta cross bike. Sure I got a lot of hassle from friends on why I chose a bike I didn’t really know anything about. I am first and foremost a gravity rider. Sure I like a good climb, but my true passion lies with DH and technical AM descents. I have to admit, even though I was excited to get something different; this time in the form of the Delta. I was nervous about getting the bike, and getting the designed use out of it. I know what to do with a gravity bike. Give me a trail, I can point it down and fly. I know the movements, I trust the tires in the corners, and I know how the bike will react over terrain. But a rigid bike on gravel, or pavement-- Tthat’s a different story.
Well a few short days later, a big box with a Airborne logo was on the back porch at work. I hastily opened it up and got to assembling the Delta. After about 45 minutes I had it pretty well dialed in and ready to ride. I could not wait! After swallowing my pride, and donning my new Airborne Road/XC kit, I grabbed the Delta, adjusted the saddle as best as I could, and started cranking to the nearest fire road climb. The first thing I noticed was my body position. Now this may seem, pretty obvious, to most everyone. But to me it felt ridiculous! Hunched over the bars in lycra, with my pockets stuffed with gu, and stinger chews. Who was I kidding? This is for the birds. But I asked for it and I need to give it a fair shot. I kept cranking. After about 30 min on the road I found my way to the fire road I was looking for.
My next discovery included the stiffness of the frame and the acceleration you get with a fully rigid frame. Strange riding position aside, this was not bad! I started really feeling confident heading up the road. Keeping tucked, I kept cranking up and up. Why did this feel so good? I almost felt like I was betraying my beloved gravity bikes that were sitting back at work longing for a ride. I swore to myself I would ride them later. As I am heading up I started losing steam, so it was time to give the Apex 2X10 a workout. Shifting slowly back up and spinning my way to the top I felt great! Gaining altitude and confidence all the way. The Apex group was awesome. I had only read about it, or got feedback from buddies that had used and researched the product. They were not kidding it was fast shifting, and really intuitive to use. “Double tap” I love you. Just another nice surprise the Delta was hiding.
Well feeling like a changed man I get to the top of my climb and take a break to do some thinking. It climbed great, was fast on the road, and stiff! So far so good. But now I am heading down. How was this bike going to handle heading down the fire road and a shortcut over a small trail back to the road? “ like crap” I think to myself. But I have gotten myself into this and I need to get myself back down. So I start heading down the hill. Now this is no speed machine heading down the gravel road. The steering was sketchy to me as I am used to 700 to 780mm between the bar ends. It felt like I was holding onto a ludicrously small set of bars. This was no fault of the bars, but more my own naïve CX bike experience. It was hard to get myself to trust them. But I pushed past the awkward feeling and kept rolling.
If I thought the small bars were odd, the saddle up my chamois in the turns was down right invasive! I never really was able to trust the bike fully in corners on gravel, and I am sure it showed as I crept onward down the mountain. Aside from my awkwardness the bike was a nice surprise! Even though I am a self labeled “gravity rider,” I started getting into this ride. What would my DH buddys think? The last test for me was the Standard Virginia single track. Smooth in the flats, random shuts of rock, and rooty throughout. Needless to say for feeling like I was on a road bike, it rocked my view of what a cross bike is. It was stiff, predictable, and down right fun to ride. I never have seen myself as a CX type of guy, I am not a big climber, and I feel strange when I am in lycra. This bike has changed all that. Wether you are a “gravity guy” a “XC climber” a “AM ripper” or any other of the hundreds of bike rider classifications; a bike like this can add to your training, fitness, and of course fun. It has become a part of my regular rides. It’s reliable, fun, and a unique experience. So I urge you other self labeled “gravity guys” to give it a shot. Your DH, AM, and FR bikes will not hold it against you. I promise.
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