Call me fickle, but after thinning out the bike collection I really missed the hardtail.
Having ridden Sevens for many, many years I decided to go for a bit of a change. A bit more compact and steeper geometry than I was used to, but such a fantastic ride. Feels much 'lighter'. It is actually only slightly lighter than my old Seven, but feels more 'zingy' whilst managing to be stiff through the BB.
Welding is nicer than the Seven, ride is nicer than the Seven, weight is lower than the Seven. I guess the only downside is the finish. The Seven brushed finish just buffs up with a Scotchbrite pad, but the Independent Fabrication finish is a bit more difficult.
New XTR is (in my opinion at least) nicer than the XX I had on the Seven. Feels more robust, but the polished finish of the XTR looks a bit cheap. Is is more of a coating than a genuine polish. Still, works beautifully, and only time will tell on the finish.
15mm through axel at the front and Chris King Funbolts at the rear are noticeably stiffer than standard QRs that I have ridden before. As for the rest of the kit, you can't really go far wrong with XTR, Chris King (hubs, BB and headset), Thomson, Easton and Stan's Alpine.
After years using black Chris King, I am still not sure about the green, but it kind of matches the IF.
A very happy convert to the IF camp!
