Not yo' momma's "Loogie"

I love summer, I really do. I hate when you start to get that feel of the fall-season in the air, and the length of the days start to creep down, shorter and shorter. The only thing that makes it slightly more manageable is the fact that it means cyclocross season is quickly approaching! That's right, the "summer break" in between Cult Cross and Fall racing is just about over!

Shockingly, it's just 3 weeks away. Knowing that it would be coming soon, I ordered up some new shoes, and have some sweet new Mavics to try out this year! Just the right amount of flex, nice agressive sole, soft slipper-like feel, and insanely light! I hear if you go fast enough, the dirt won't bother the lovely white finish... mine are bound to be dirty...

And well... you can't really get new shoes, without getting a new bike, right!?!?! Ibis has brought the Hakkalugi back after several years away from the scene... and they've brought it back in a BIG way!

1100gram full-carbon frame!

Beautiful "Phlegmish Yellow" color...

And of course, the original "Handjob" for that touch of class... because there's nothing classier than a handjob in front of all your friends, on a muddy saturday afternoon.

As is so often the case, I nearly didn't want to ride it, knowing that it would never be this clean again! But I am glad I did! I only got a shorter ride on it yesterday, but it was awesome. Amazing how smooth the full carbon frame is. The single front chainring keeps everything tight and quiet, and when you stand up to sprint, it feels like it's road sibling. Amazing really.

My shoulder is far from being bruised enough for this late in the season, so the weight really helps things as well - it's just under 15.9lbs, all set and ready to ride! And that's without running overpriced, scary-light carbon wheels! I'm just running a fairly standard single-ring SRAM Force drivetrain, parts that are a nice balance between weight and reliability, and some custom DT/Kinlin wheels built by your's truly.

Of course all these means that I'm going to have a hard time blaming the bike for any shortfalls in fitness... so I better get out there and do some bike practice!