Ride of the Eunuch

As it turns out, my GT Ruckus never materialized. They must have been pretty popular because the bike shop and GT rep couldn't locate a medium sized one for me. They gave up last Friday and I started shopping again.

I first checked out a 2006 Kona Eunuch (or maybe it was Unit) and didn't expect to be impressed because I had already ridden one a couple weeks previously. For some reason, this one felt much better than the one I tried earlier. I talked to the bike shop owner about it and he told me Kona made the frame much lighter for 2006. It really made difference. The new Eunuch felt as zippy as Jeff's On-One that I had been riding the last couple of weeks.

There was one other bike I wanted to try. I saw a Gary Fisher 29 inch single speed at another bike shop and had to give it a try. It felt kind of like driving a truck. It was big and heavy (probably due to the disk brakes and front suspension) and also cost $1100, which was way more than I wanted to spend.

I went back to the first bike shop and picked up the Kona Eunuch. I made sure the one I rode was my size because I didn't want to screw around with ordering a bike that might or might not show up again. I locked the bike up in my garage for the weekend and sat on the front porch with a rifle across my lap waiting for scumbag thieves to try and to steal this one. I didn't see any, so the land mines in my driveway must have discouraged them enough.

Today was my maiden ride on the Eunuch. It was a beautiful day, probably the best one of the year so far. We decided to ride Deer Run. This would be a good test for both the bike and me. The Eunuch felt feather light on the climb. I don't know if it was something to do with the bike, my fitness after riding a single speed for a couple of weeks, or the euphoria of having a new bike, but I was able to climb seated in several sections where I had to be out of the seat on Jeff's On-One. It will be interesting to compare the two of them directly on a future ride.

The Eunuch felt both quick and fast on the downhill. I misjudged several of the Deer Runs single track turns because I am still used to the slower steering of my long lost Enduros (sigh). The Eunuch flew down Stewart's hill, the DB Highway, and the paved roads all the way back to the Facility.

After this glowing review, I have only one concern with my new Eunuch. After the beating I gave it today, I wonder how durable it will be. Hitting rocks at high speed on the downhills has to be rough on the wheels, solid fork, and frame. We'll see how they hang in there.