Sussex-MTB

It’s a complex story this, of fork troubles, cracked frames and new beginnings that starts with my family holiday to Brecon, and ends with a new bike, the 3rd this year in the Daddy bike room.

So, off we set to Brecon, having once again convinced Mrs Daddy that we should take the bikes on holiday. I had the trusty Truth with me, ready to flog it on the lush trails of the Brecon Beacons, but before I could even turn a pedal in anger I spotted the fork wouldn’t compress. Uh oh! A quick call to my personal mechanic and Jellybike told me that I shouldn’t ride them until he could get his wonder hands on them. Great timing – still all was not lost as my parents were due to join us for a few days mid-hols, so before I knew it Dad had brought my Joker and taken the Truth home. Result – one good reason to own more than one bike…

I had a great route planned from Tal-y-bont, from a local route guide and set off up the 4 mile opening climb from the village up the Brinore Tramway into the mountains. Despite all the travel, the Joker still climbs well and I soaked up the stunning surroundings as I climbed.

Joker

Tal-y-bont

Unfortunately, I had many navigational issues on this ride, so what was supposed to be a 24 mile loop, turned into a 12 mile out and back, but it was still a top ride in the remote mountain moors. One of the highlights was watching a motoX rider faceplant over the bars into a boggy water filled trench and his mates bugger off, laughing. Good to see that behaviour crosses into other sports…

On return and cleanup, I discovered that tragedy had struck – a terminal crack had spread across the top tube weld and that ride was her last. Devastated I was – I’ve had this bike for approx 6 years now and had some great rides, big scares and a few big crashes on it. It was a great bike for making me look a better rider than I am, especially when pointing down and airborne, but all good things must come to an end, and I haven’t been riding it much recently to be honest. And, what a great ride for the swansong – any bike should be proud to depart their functional life in the Brecon Beacons.

So, what to do next? There was little funding for anything too grand, having had 2 new bikes since Easter (!) and did I really need a second mtb anyway? I’d also flirted with the idea of a bmx to keep up with Little Daddy, so I made the trip to Freeborn to confirm the crack was terminal and discuss options. Well, before I knew it, I was the proud owner of a new Mythic Viento frame on which to hang all the Joker parts. This I believe gives me the unique status of owning the ‘Freeborn Trinity’ – an Ellsworth, a Devinci and now a Mythic, all at the same time.

So, having talked about wanting a hardtail, having not ridden one for probably 12 years, I now have an aggressive Viento with a seriously long fork. So how did I get on with the first ride?

Well, in order to get a ride in quickly, I decided to ride it to work, then do my offroad commute home to try it out. My first impression was that, although better than the Joker, it’s no road bike! Its front end is high, and the seat is a little low for me, but I soon adjusted, and once it’s wheels got muddy on the way home, it flew.

Mythic Viento

Mythic Viento

The stiffness and harshness took some getting used to, but it pings and flies off the trail in a beautifully controlled way. I learned quickly on one of the fast and lumpy wide track descents that I have to concentrate on finding a proper line now, but isn’t that part of the draw? It looks beautiful, and I’m in love…

Mythic Viento

Mythic Viento

When the budget allows, I may well swop the fork for a slightly shorter one, but that’s all – it’s a welcome addition, and completes the Freeborn Trinity perfectly. I can’t wait to flog it properly on the descents and techy trails at Pitch. So, out of the ashes of a much loved Joker, a new love called Viento is born.

Big Daddy