Beautiful!
Congratulations!
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The first snow is on the mountains; that means that cross season has arrived and so has my very first cross bike. It's a 50 cm (I'm 5'7" w/a 30" inseam) Van Dessel Hole Shot. I sourced the frame and parts myself, and a cross junkie friend just finished building it up for me. Definitely a "girl" bike: Short reach Shimano levers, Ritchey Biomax bars, XTR short cage rear derailleur, 11-32 SRAM cassette, and 50-34 compact crankset, Terry Damselfly saddle, good cheap wheelset, (still waiting on the) XTR M970 pedals. Total price tag came to about $1500. This bike is bound for the Southern Oregon Outlaw CX series (can't wait!), and will also do double duty on the local fireroads and fast singletrack.
My 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son can't wait to come out and watch mom ride her cross bike. I think they mostly just like the cow bells.
Stay tuned for the "first race" post in a couple of weeks...
Thanks everyone for the inspiration.
Beautiful!
Congratulations!
"If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson
Very cool bike! Congratulations! Good luck with racing!
Very pretty! Can't wait to read your race reports!
I've seen a few Van Dessels in the local 'cross circuit. Definitely let us know how yours does!
"How about if we all just try to follow these very simple rules of the road? Drive like the person ahead on the bike is your son/daughter. Ride like the cars are ambulances carrying your loved ones to the emergency room. This should cover everything, unless you are a complete sociopath."
David Desautels, in a letter to velonews.com
Random babblings and some stuff to look at.
Thanks for the encouragement. If it weren't for my little kid cheering section, I probably would avoid the race scene altogether - so it's kind of a big deal for me to commit to this. I had narrowed the frame choices down to the Javelin Primitivo, Van Dessel G&T, and the Van Dessel Hole Shot. I opted for the "budget" frame and with the savings I was able to justify upgrading a bit on some of the components. The short-reach shifters (Shimano R600) are a dream come true: braking while in the drops - what a concept!
I love reading everyone's race reports; keep them coming.
Great looking bike, and good for you for getting into racing! I don't have my own cheering section at the races, but what you will find is that the spectators will cheer for everyone, and it really does make a difference! And your children will LOVE it!
Good luck, and be sure to post a report after your first race!
SheFly
"Well behaved women rarely make history." including me!
http://twoadventures.blogspot.com
Very cool-looking bike! Have fun in your first race and give us a full report (with pictures!)
Linda
A very rich looking bike. Enjoy and do tell us about your race experiences.
That thing is ILL. Congratulations. And tell us how your races go.
Great bike! Have fun with it!