Orange Crush

It finally arrived! All winter and spring, I've been thinking about getting a new 'cross bike. Mr. Surly, while a sweet bike in it's own way, was a cheap entry vehicle into 'cross racing. Wasn't sure I was going to like it, so why waste too much $$$ on it. Ended up falling in love with 'cross and decided to upgrade my ride. I had a very hard time deciding between the Mudhoney and Tsunami. And then the choice was made for me when S went over to Seven, purchased two jerseys (one winter, one summer) and the Tsunami. Obviously, she couldn't just get the bike but she with the help of our friend Jennifer at Seven, presented me with a Ti tube with Tsunami and Seven decals on it for my birthday. :)

Every step of the way, Seven was awesome. From turning around the specs days after I was measured at Landry's in Natick. Landry's was stunned when the frame shipped 9 business days after I signed off on the specs - so stunned in fact that they hadn't ordered the parts. Had to wait two weeks for those dudes to build up my bike (and they didn't reverse the brakes. Grrrrr..... Need to bring it back and have them fix that). Granted, Seven usually takes a lot longer to build a frame given their backlog but I warned them!

Finally picked it up. I wanted to throw some slicks on it, ride the PMC with it and take it to the Vineyard. On second thought, decided to just take it for a quick one hour ride on dirt and enjoy it more when I return from vacation.

Wow. Best way to describe it is that it feels like my MINI CooperS on two wheels. Sharp acceleration, handles like it's on rails, and just feels perfect. I was slightly concerned with the switch to SRAM but I'm really liking it so far. It gives me the flatter hoods and clean cable routing I love about Campy but also is a bit less expensive and more Shimano compatible.

Frame: Seven Tsunami
Fork: Ritchey WCS Carbon Cross
Headset: Chris King Threadless - Mango!
Bars: Seven Aluminum

Shift/Brake Levers: SRAM Force
Rear/Front Derailleur: SRAM Force
Cassette: SRAM 12-26
Crankset: FSA SLK Cross Megaexo (46/36)
Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy
Sissy Levers: Cane Creek Crosstop Carbon
Brakes: Paul Neo-Retro Cantilevers

Seatpost: Seven Aluminum
Seat: Terry Firefly (love the flames! Ride like your butt's on fire! Wahoo!)
Wheels: Mavic Ksryium SL
Tires: Maxxis Larsen MiMo