"I shall call her… Unicorn!"

 Now before I explain the heading, I’m going to have to start from the beginning. My last blog post mentioned the purchase process of my new fat bike and I was waiting for it to ship. Upon payment, it was shipped promptly through bike flights and arrived within a couple days to my doorstep. The box was so giant, the delivery man had a hard time getting out the door of his truck! What an exciting moment as I anticipated the real life color choices I had made.

I finally crack the box open (after a few photo opportunities of course) and am delighted to see mind-blowing hot pink paint. Growler refers to it as “Cosmic Sassy” and sassy it is! I’d compare it to highlighter pink and I couldn’t have been more in love. The ice blue accents were the perfect companion to tie it all together. 

This was my first custom bike order so I had no idea what to expect upon opening the box. I was surprised the bike came largely in part assembled. No wonder the box was large! Upon opening, we had to install the front tire, adjust the saddle to the height needed, and we had purchased pedals separately from CrankBrothers. 

Once all the pieces were on, I braved the frigid weather to take my first ride. I had never ridden a fat tire bike nor rode a bike in the winter so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping I would like it but it was going to take a lot to impress a winter hermit. I threw on the best “cold weather riding gear” I could muster and took off….

Upon my first few pedals, I experienced this insane euphoric feeling of exhilaration. I literally couldn’t stop saying to my husband - “I feel like I”m riding a unicorn!” It was the smoothest ride; complete with effortless, smooth shifting as I sliced through the fresh snow like a hot knife through butter. I was addicted from the first few feet and I couldn’t quite understand it. I mean here I was riding a bike in 18 degree weather (real feel from wind of 3 degrees) and I was wanting to bike more! 

Some highlights of my new Mr. Big Stuff:

- Shifts easy: Effortless, smooth transitions make the ride enjoyable.

- Super Light: My frame complete with tires weighs around 30 lbs! So even with being a smaller woman, I can easily lift and move my frame.

- Frame size: The size small frame fits me comfortably being at 5’4. The low frame swoop allows me to get off easy which is something that is important to me. In my past few bikes, I’ve lacked confidence and control because the frames felt a little big for handling and navigating through terrain but this one gives me confidence. 

- Tires: Obviously they are fat which is such a new experience. They slice through snow easily!

- Brakes: They respond fast and well. Another important quality I like. Other bikes I’ve rode sometimes have slower responding or laggy brakes which make me feel less comfortable.

- Suspension: It handles the road intersections and driveway drop-offs well giving me a comfortable ride.

- The seat! This might be the biggest feature that determines my ride quality. In the past, I’ve always had problems with comfort on my seat. Shortly after riding down the sidewalk I’d feel really uncomfortable even with biking shorts on. With this seat, it is a game changer! I no longer have to stop riding because I’m so uncomfortable.

This bike is a game changer! Winter is now my playground and I am able to be more active during a period I would typically hibernate during. Not to mention, I now know what it feels like to ride a unicorn ;)