Today I decided to take the Mercian out as the weather finally got a bit better this afternoon.
Not the best shakedown conditions being mid winter on wet or damp roads and the main thing needing finished being the mudguards, but I was really keen to get it ridden and sorted and see if the difference between the two Mercians geometry wise, was really noticeable.
I had originally planned just to go a couple of mile along the road and back as the main road was reasonably dry and quiet of traffic as well.
The bike was riding really sweetly, gears were fine, position was fine with everything just quietly rolling along. I ended up turning inland and taking the long back roads home, the only problem being that they were a bit wetter and I had to pass through a farm that had a good bit of silage runoff seeping across the road. Most was fine, or so I thought until I got home and removed my jacket to find road grime sprayed up my back. Just glad I had my jacket on.
Anyway home just on dark after a really nice ride with the Mercian handling really nicely and finding while I have a few things to tweak, like changing brake pads and the hoods, the mains things like contact points, seat, pedals etc were all spot on and comfortable. A good start.
The geometry differences between the two KOMs is quite noticeable on the road. While they are only small differences on paper in geometry and chain stay length I think the fork rake difference combined with the chainstay length are what makes this feel more comfortable again, especially on the less than ideal roads around here. These are just some initial thoughts and time will tell if they are in the ballpark.
Home just on dark so a quick wash, the bike and myself and then some lovely soup to warm up before dinner. It was cold but not icy.
Hope everyone has had a nice start to the New Year. Here's hoping it gets a bit better for all of us. Stay safe.
Jamie
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