I have just about ten rides on the Nomad and all I can say is woah. Woah as in, holy shit this is an amazing and extremely capable machine whose VPP2 linkage lets me do stupid things and take heinous lines that would usually leave a less capable bike wallowing in its own stagnation. You see? Woah. It is built up a bit hefty (to support my own extra heft) with Saint M810 Cranks, 36 Talas RC2, ’11 Codes, but it still pedals surprisingly well and doesn’t wallow in its travel or feel sluggish at any point. The only thing left feeling sluggish and alarmingly winded is the rider. Three quarters of the aforementioned rides have been at the beautifully sculpted, flowy and cardiovascular Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake. Last weekend I was able to get a ride in on my home trails and it felt great. I haven’t felt that good on those trails in some time. The dirt was moist in all the right places and the trails were surprisingly clear considering the amount of rainfall and storms we have had. The fallen trees that remained were converted into fun, semi-technical bridges of stumps that grab at your front wheel and do their best to buck you off. After crossing one of these bridges, the trail opens up into a section where gravity is actually in your favor. I rounded a snappy left hand turn at a good clip and was abruptly introduced to a downed tree. My Minon 2.5 DHF 3C shook hands with the new acquaintance while I watched the awkward interaction airborne, from directly above. The stars were aligned to send me straight over the bars: my saddle was hiked up, my rear brake had been shy all day and I was plainly unprepared for the sudden confrontation. I hit the dirt and felt great. Is that so wrong? It’s been a while since I really ate it and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. It just feels like you’re trying hard enough. You know? Playing it safe yields a calculated and mild mannered ride and there is certainly a time and place for that, but that is not the reason why I go out for a ride. I am searching for that moment in time where nothing else is crossing my mind except for exactly what is happening in front of me and for that that brief second while I was soaring through the air – I found it.
