So, ive been riding my foia for a couple months since my first post. Its was one of those love at first site bikes. Sure some people started at it in confusion but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it rides like a beast so anything else can be forgiven.

Im finishing off my final year at uni now and have got a dissertation hand it looming (this is perfect procrastination) so I dont get to ride as much as I like. Ive been commuting to campus as much as possible to get my ridding in. Its only five miles each way but its incredibly hilly so inevitably I get carried away and turn every ride into a race.

The ride to uni is uphill biased so I tend to stick to the roads and mash the pedal strokes in. Ive managed to wear out two tyres in as many months (race kings and crossmaxs) so im clearly still putting a dent into my normal routine. I also get to see the sea every day, twice a day. Its something I love and will miss terribly next year. Along the way I always try to beat my manual effort, which the foia is king at. I can pretty much manual any distance providing im carrying the speed which I have never done on any other bike.If im lucky I can get into the slipstream of a bus and cheat part of the way. Im trying to improve on my time of just under 22 minutes (not bad considering the monster elevation).

What goes up must come down and oh is it good. I set a route through my campuss, down a few stair sets, through a small section of woodland, down another and then home. Its the best ending to a hard days work. Gives me time to forget everything and just focus on the moment. I tend to leave later in the evening giving me an empty path all the way down to the road. There a couple great hip jumps and transfers on grass and concrete banks. I thank the post-modern architects for the crazy designs. I can only assume he’s a ridder too otherwise its just the best luck ever! So having dodged a couple student and lecturers, transferred and whipped my way through campus I then carve through the woodland. This time of year it gets a bit loose so I tend to go sideways (had a few offs too). I then join the road and have a bit of fun with the speed bumps before leveling out and spinning my way home. My best time is well bellow 18 minutes (with traffic light stops, giving way and the rest).

The ride is so much fun; come rain, shine, wind or calm weather. I always feel the surge of adrenaline through my veins when I leave to unlock my bike and fasten my helmet. I think the foia helps make the ride special. The foia is seriously quick whilst also reminding me to stick the back end out when I fancy it. Grin factor? Ear to ear.

Getting sideways

A sight I get to see every day. Beautiful.

Ride on and make the most of what you got !

kai x.

I finished building the Foia up last week and thought today would be the best day to break it in by riding the Bissoe Trail. Its an old mining trail that spans from East to West Cornwall. The trail is pretty much flat but cut through a valley so on top of beautiful views you also have the hill side to play with along the way. There’s old disused mine waste that is rocky and fast but also Unity woods that offers a few DH tracks with some lovely lines (although pretty boggy at this time of year).  Pretty perfect to test the all round capabilities of my new rig!

http://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/view/bike-ride-map/cornwall/6987238

Spec wise, im running Fox 36 Talas forks, XT drive train (10 spd.) and brakes with some hope hoops and X-fusin dropper post. All in it weighs just below 28lbs. Very happy with the weight and feel of the bike.

Instantly noticeable was how manual friendly the bike was. I had no problems getting over the back end and amusing the kids with some manuals. Its also super easy to flick the back out making it very whippy at any given chance. So its certainly playful! This playfulness was just emphasised when I hit the rocky slopes. With the 36s on the front you can get through anything. They are stiff but as soon as you hit a drop they just absorb all the impacts. The rest of the kit performed flawlessly, as you’d expect.

What surprised me the most though is how diverse the bike is. I didn’t really notice the miles that went by and didn’t struggle covering the 23 Km each way along with the playing. I have to say that on paper I thought it would be great for playing but with the slack HA would be a pig to put the miles in (hence why I got the Talas fork) but I just ended up leaving it in 160mm mode and riding because its just comfy and it worked. Mud clearance is also great, see the pictures.

Im used to riding a 140 to 180mm full sus rig but I really enjoy the responsive feel of the hardtail and the titanium certainly gives lovely ride characteristics. In the DH sections of the woods it took me back to basics but it was refreshing and felt much more lively.

Its the first time ive visited the Bissoe and wouldn’t have bothered if my friends didnt mention it but im glad I made the effort. Its a chilled XC ride with some DH on the side (literally). I got very mud to say the least!

I’ll be updating this every once in a while with some new rides that ive been doing.
Thanks if you read the whole thing,

A very happy rider.