Actually it was my old Scirocco, that John had bought off me several years back, and damn I gave that bike a good thrashing before John got his hands on it
Abusing my old Scirocco at Esher Shore
Having owned 2 chaparrals (2003 and 2006), 2 sciroccos and now a wildcard, its safe to say that John is something of a Banshee / Mythic 'aficionado'
If you don't understand what that fancy word means, John is a bike rider and appreciates damn good bikes and that is why he always buys Banshee / Mythic for his off-road adventures
John is also the most hard working member of the Esher Shore trail crew, alongside my good self of course, and works in the bike 'industry' so we are more than happy to hook him up with killer deals on his new frames
John has wanted a lighter trail bike for some time, as the Scirocco was somewhat burly, and John had hung some burly (for a hardtail) kit on there, and ended up with a freeride hardtail and a freeride suspension bike...the same thing basically minus a rear shock and some pivots!
He chose a anodised black Viento frame with gold graphics in medium size, and I rebuilt it today in the Freeborn Esher workshop whilst John helped out in the shop (he's a hard working guy for sure)
Using my finely honed mechanics skillz, it didn't take long to swap the parts across, and he ended up with a sweet bike by the early afternoon
His Viento has a Pike 454 Air fork, Hope Pro II hubs on Mavic rims, Maxxis tires, Avid Juicy 5 disc brakes, SRAM transmission, E13 DRS chain device, Shimano XT HT2 cranks, Thomson stem and Race Face Atlas low rise bars, Syncros pedals and some other good bits
Plans include a brand new rear wheel based around a blue Hope Pro II hub with a lighter DT 5.1D rim, some kevlar XC tires, installing a new Shimano HT2 bottom bracket, replacing the wobbly rear mech with a new Sram X-9, and swapping out the seatpost (old school Roox) for a Thomson Elite - all these measure will shed some weight and improve function - and finish making his Viento into the lighter trail bike he really wants
Initial thoughts on the Viento is that its simply awesome, I had a quick car park test and it feels very nimble, is longer in the top tube than the medium Scirocco, and has a lower front end (it doesn't have the "hucking" feeling of the Scirocco
John spent an afternoon with Hot Carl riding the rebuilt Pump Track at Esher Shore and said the Viento feels very quick (much quicker in corners than the Scirocco) and a little softer in the rear end which is good news as the Scirocco was a little harsh on the rocks and roots
happy trails!
Rob C
