On two occasions this year I have had my euro/handmade/boutique bike snobishness drowned in a shower of asian mass produced bike parts.

The first was my Christmas vacation in Adelaide when I borrowed my brother’s carbon fibre Avanti for some extended rides leading up to the 'Be In It' stage of the Tour Down Under.

I picked it up from his house then spent an hour or so adjusting and re-assembling bits and pieces in order to get the Shimano 105 working well and the bike fitting me. To tell you the truth the 105 was pretty much flawless from the get go. I left Rach's house to head up the bikeway that heads south out of Adelaide on a 9km climb into the hills. The words - stiff, light and comfortable came immediately to mind. The front end was rigid and the bottom bracket wouldn't budge. Once over the hill it was time for some speed - precise, compliant and responsive. Soon enough I was in wine country on long smooth paths in the vicinity of McLaren Vale - all day comfortable-ness.
A sub-$3000 dollar bike that rode like an absolute dream! The Tour Down Under stage saw me ride 180km through city streets, winding roads, up mountain passes and along second rate bitumen roads with 40km'h cross winds. I was impressed and somewhat bewildered.
 
Then a few weeks a go I found an ad at work for a Mongoose Randonneur for $350. It’s pretty much a road bike with large clearances and cantilever brakes, built for touring or cyclocross type riding. I bought it with not too much expectation and really because I was thinking of building the same thing and thought the parts off of this two year old $1600 (market price) bike would come in handy.

I picked it up from work and spent half an hour adjusting it so that I could meet John for a softroad ride through Bruce Ridge and Black Mountain that night.
It was.......perfect just the way it was......
 


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