After being damaged on a road test the Bull:it has been a bit neglected as things have been very busy with the commute bikes and the ADL. There was also the issue that I am probably too old and conservative to really enjoy riding brakeless. On the track it is great when surrounded by experienced riders but on the road with everyone on the their phones I was not keen and it meant it could only be ridden slowly.
As a bit of an experiment Mark agreed that we should add a brake to the front to allow quicker stopping if a driver did not see you or in a moment of madness you got yourselves in trouble...
The wheel parts arrived on Saturday AM so I built the wheel, swapped in some other prototype forks with a brake mount (hence they have big gaps which would not be the desired final production look), went and bought a brake lever and then it was done. A cool looking bike that can be ridden in normal clothes, without rolling up your trousers, and still not get oil on your trousers.
I have been for a spin around town on it and it certainly turned a few heads. It needs a front wheel tattoo to balance it up with the seat tube. I did not use the front brake much as it is nicer to control the speed through the drive train but it is reassuring to know that it is there. The disk brake also keeps the lines cleaner and means that the white paint on the super deep Velocity B43 won't get damaged over time. You also get the same braking performance in all weather conditions which was handy today in the heavy showers.
The bike feel is the same as before and is great around town. I might even take it on a trip to work this week... but now with stopping confidence. All I need to do now is change my image towards the hipster :o)
