postcard from ireland
the legion reviewed

A little piece of Spring love popped into our inbox this week. It was in the form of a very nice email review by Nicholas from Dublin, who was one of the first people to buy a Legion frame and cock a leg over it outside of the Kingdom Bike Crew.

He didn't send any shots of the bike or Ireland for that matter, so I found a nice Guinness Ad to watch whilst reading Nicholas's review. Thanks for the review Nicholas.

FROM: NICHOLAS SENT: 20.04.2010

Firstly I want to be 100% honest: I don't like Titanium. I don't rate it and I thought it was made for Engineers and people called Clive with frame-less spectacles. But don't let my comments throw you. Hear me out, as it seems I was seriously wrong...

For the last month, I have ridden more types of bikes than I ever have in my past. So I am probably the perfect litmus test for Kingdom Bikes right now. Let me also tell you that when Chris handed over The Legion to me to test ride, he had that kind of twinkle in his eye - like a Gypsy and his mustang that looks more like a stumpy pony, but you just know is true stallion.

And that's exactly how this bike rides - like a thoroughbred racehorse. I can only say it is truly incredible. And I know that's a pretty bold statement to make, but I'll stand my ground over it. The Legion is so unbelievably versatile, nimble, responsive and swift - that I found myself laughing out loud when riding it. When the first test ride was finished, I made an excuse to Chris that I needed to ride it on some different terrain, just to get another spin on it. He just chuckled and said, 'Sure' - knowing full well that I'd swallowed the hook, line and sinker.

Technically, The Legion is a fabulous all-rounder. It climbs so well - both in the saddle and out of the saddle - that realistically it will be the lumpy, fleshy human bit on top of the bike that will fail, way before the bike ever does. And then flip the coin, point it downhill, and it tracks and descends like no other hard tail I've ever ridden before. Admittedly, I was afraid that the combination of the super stiff metal, with a hard tail design, would kick and buck me down anything remotely steep - but it never did. It just tracks and descends so well - that I found my confidence instantly improving and wanting to try more and more technical trails. It is simply, a sheer joy to ride.

The only point to note at this stage - and I want to be honest about and not bias this review totally - is the set-up and kit out on the bike. The Legion I bought from Kingdom, had top of the line components, wheels and finishing kit - and that is also a contributing factor to the superb ride. The bike is light and strong - just like a Roman soldier, as the name suggests. It's capable of so much, that with a simple change of forks and tyres - you can have a true competition-ready, lightweight XC 'racing' bike, that will easily match the lightest of light, Carbon models available today, but still do more. However, it is also creatively flexible, that it can easily handle All-Mountain or big Alpine days, with the right tyres and forks.

To finish, as positive as this review is - it brings to the forefront a brilliant simple quote I heard recently that seems to meld with the ethos for Kingdom Bikes. The quote said, 'The more you know, the less you need'. And that's what Chris at Kingdom Bikes has developed here with The Legion. A simple, über-strong, light, versatile bike, that just begs to be ridden. And with that in mind - what else do you truly need from a bike? You just simply have to ride one to see!

Thanks for the review and all the kind words.