MY FIRST GROUP ROAD RIDE in a long time...
On a whim I dropped in on a thirty some-odd mile urban group ride through the Central West End in St. Louis. Out of twenty two riders, most were riding mid to high end, light weight, road specific mounts of the usual fare. Specs, Dales, Treks and Giants all on 18 to 25 mm skins. I've been dropped early on during a few road rides in the past and by the look of some of these guys in their race kits, I didn't expect this ride to be any different. I guess I may have looked a little out of place being the only rider on a CX bike with a camelback and NOT in Lycra. Oh well, I've taken a downhill bike on plenty of cross country rides and I'd rather be over equipped than under equipped.
Luckily the lead riders took it easy in the beginning and everybody was able to warm up to a good pace without having to over exert themselves. A few miles in, the pace kicked up a notch and I was in the big ring and pleasantly surprised how easily I was able to keep pace with the lead riders.
There is no shortage of "surface features" on the streets of St. Louis and the lead pack was calling out potholes, cracks, and gravel patches with regular frequency. Navigating through traffic on rough roads with a group of 20 plus riders has never been my cup of tea and this is where the Delta opens up a lot of route options. Where pure road bikes always stick to the smoothest pavement and have to avoid variances, the Delta lets you blast through dirty spots, hop over potholes and run up onto the sidewalk to pass slow riders and avoid tight traffic situations.
I was getting quite a few looks from the ride leaders as I blazed my own paths, in and out of traffic, up and down curbs and even through grass and gravel sections. A couple of guys commented on how they are considering a cyclocross bike as their next bike purchase. Hmmm? You don't say.
Pure road bikes might be at an advantage on perfectly smooth pavement but in the real world where rain grates and dirty shoulders are the norm, the Delta smacks them all down without even trying.
AND THEN THE RAIN CAME...
I was really starting to enjoy my equipment advantage over these road bikes at this point. With eight miles to go on this ride, the clouds opened up an absolute torential downpour ensued. Within seconds we were all completely soaked to the bone and everyone was scrambling to get back to their cars. Ok, I was having fun before with my out of bounds riding style, now it was time to drop these weenies and explore the upper limits of the Deltas street cred.
The Delta's BB30 bottom bracket provides a massive tube junction at the cranks and when saw the bike back and forth while ripping at the pedals there is absolutely no noticeable flex in this frame. Stiff as hell! With it's relaxed head angle, mechanical disc brakes and 32mm wide Ritchey Speedmax cross tires (aftermarket) taking the Delta CycloXrosser to an urban ride, is like taking a gun to a knife fight. While the other riders had to approach corners and braking sections with caution, I would clip out one foot as an outrigger, feather the disc brakes, carve my turn and then get back on the gas and up to speed in no time flat. A quick glance over my shoulder showed the rest of the group flailing around in the wetness, hoping to come out unscathed. Ha, I laughed! Pretty friggin awesome feeling! After this ride, the Delta has inspired so much confidence, I can't wait till my next road ride! Rock on Airborne!
Tony Caruso
Airborne Flight Crew Test Rider
