So, I was in for a new bike.
Again…
After an inattentive driver wrecked the Scapin, almost wrecking me in the act as well, I went shopping for a new one.
My previous bikes were assembled with a lot of love by my favorite LBS in the south of my country and the kind of expertise they offer is hard to find in Almere.
So, since we moved “back north”, I’ve been looking for a LBS closer to home and ended up at Van Tuyl.
I brought my Scapin there for maintenance a couple of times and decided I would buy my new bike there as well.
They have their own brand and recently introduced “Van Tuyl the Element” – it will be customized to (all) your needs, including the paint job.
Although I liked the “black-on-black”, I opted for some red touches in “my Element”.
I got my Twitter handle (@Cyclopaat) and the (un)healthy “IWBMATTKYT” motto on there as well.
Saturday, November 22 I picked it up, aptly dubbed it “the Element Cyclopaat” or “Cy 666” for short and went for a ride.
As it was little too late to be able to extensively test the bike and ride all the way home, I had to settle for a shorter test until it got dark.
First impressions were good – the bike feels just fine, does a good corner and power to speed ratio looks okay.
As I was perhaps a little (too) cautious to seriously test it, I can’t tell if the behavior of the bike matches its looks.
Besides, in the town of Geldermalsen, I nearly got hit by a car again and that didn’t help much either…
But I can’t wait to get out and test it for (quasi) TT capabilities, or a nice hilly ride.
Sadly, the outdoor season is all but over, so it may be a while before it comes to that!
