Hey Masi Guy,
just thought I'd send in a little story and some pictures of what my Speciale CX and me have been up to over here in New Zealand. You see, over here there is absolutely no such thing as Cyclo-Cross, i.e. no races, nobody knows what such a bike looks like, they're a novelty in obscure corners of foreign magazines for the most part. So what do you do with a steel 'cross bike in New Zealand?
It's done 4 100km+ road races with me placing as high as top 5 in my age group amateur class, and first bunch of amateurs each time in fields of over 1000 people. It's wonderful mixing it up with the carbon boys as many look upon your soulful steel beast with utter disdain!
It's completed two proper XC MTB races in the local Canterbury Summer XC series, first race I got 2nd in sport, then mixing it up with the elite boys I got 6th with a puncture at the next one, despite the mud and slop and many people walking the downhill sections, which the Masi nailed.
It's completed a 106km 'off road' race, consisting mainly of gravel 4x4 road, getting me 30th place out of 700 odd, in freezing cold conditions with a few people getting treated for hypothremia. I tell ya, there is something satisfying about nailing past full suspension bikes downhill in the big ring on your CX bike in an 'MTB' race!
It's done 850 road km in one week, with 414 of those in one day between my hometown Nelson and where I now live in Christchurch City, a goal I've long wanted to accomplish, the Masi rode comfortably for the whole 19 hour (including stops) effort.
It's been ridden through a number of the local MTB trails, some of which get raced in Downhill competition, and the easy line of jumps at the local trail!
It's also been a reliable commuter doing about 80km in that duty each week since I bought it, and has been on a nice leisurely ride with my girlfriend down the local recreational cycle path.
About the only thing it hasn't done is Cyclo-Cross!
Although there is no such thing as Cyclo-Cross in New Zealand, this bike has proven an awesome choice for all types of riding. STEEL IS REAL! I've never had such a comfortable riding road bike, sure rocky MTB trails can be a little hard on the body on this bike compared to the full suss, but sometimes you just gotta suck it up, there is something so satisfying about using such a simple bike to conquer such rugged terrain.
If for some reason I could only own one bike, I would be happy with it being my Masi Speciale CX over any other! Thanks for making such an awesome bike.
Cheers,
Vaughan Watson
Christchurch City
New Zealand
(P.S. those Masi team cycling kits are looking sharp, perfect for getting the word out about your brand at the races!)
Thank you Vaughan- we sincerely appreciate your passion for Masi and your Speciale CX... and we agree with you- "steel IS real".
Tim
2 comments:
nice! and impressive too!
Hey Vaughan! Nice work. For the record there is such a thing as cyclo-cross in NZ, and has been for a while, albeit on a much smaller scale than the Euros or Americans are accustomed to. I'm happy to report that this Yank/ex-pat/bike shop owner/'cross fanatic will be holding a real race in Upper Hutt on the 4th of July. (For all of you up there in the USA, that's the dead of winter down here in NZ!) So, if you're coming to the North Island, I'll show you what it's all about. And Tim, great bikes, man! I'm proud to have the Masi range on the shop floor, and hope that the presence of the CX will convert the Kiwis to the pure pain of cyclo-cross.
www.thebikehutt.co.nz
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