First of all, a big 'Thank You' to Ben Barham for preparing my bike and to Mark Gibbs for the quality check. It's pretty fantastic!
I live in High Wycombe which is a stange name for a place that's in a valley but there you go. The test ride took me out on the A40 through West Wycombe and Stokenchurch which is a soul destroying drag. Then through Chinnor and onto Butlers Cross, past Chequers and just before you get to Great Missenden turn right and climb up the slope to Prestwood and then onto to home. Thirty five miles round trip and I've come back with a sunburnt head, a pair of aching arms and legs, slightly dehydrated, a bike with a patina of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire dust and a huge ear-to-ear grin!
First impressions. Feels very high up so the sensation of speed is off until I get used to it. More of an upright stance which is doing my neck some good but I do feel a bit out in the wind. Gear change when you want - to whatever you want! Having read about 1 - 7 being noisy I can't say that it bothers me, in fact I hardly noticed it, more of a 'swish' sound than cogs running in train. I expect it'll get even quieter after a couple of thousand miles.
Only one surprise I hadn't bargined for was the 26 in inner tubes are Presta valves rather than Schrader! This raises a question. Can I replace the Presta with Schrader when the times comes to swap out (ie after a p$%^&ure)?
Other than that a very happy bunny here [
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Thank You everyone at SJS and Thorn !!!!!!!