It's been awhile since I had something bike related to write about...that I didn't already write about in another spot. Well...now I do, It's a bike review/compare/contrast thing.
My first foray into the world of big wheels was with the Vassago Jabberwocky. The wocky and I had some good foggin' times together, connected times, times of misery and times of elation. We had business type rides and we had fun time rides, we meshed. I had honestly never thrown a leg over a big wheel until I bought the wocky, so I didn't have much to compare it to...until now.
You see, the wocky has sorta given up the ghost, sort of, by developing a crack in the most worrisome of areas - top tube/head tube junction. It's the kinda crack that makes you go "hmmmmm". The crack grew, and grew and grew. It is situated on a gusset plate, so I have no idea if the tube underneath is actually cracked or not, hmmmm. Well, it was time for a new frame and so I took the interwebs searching' for something trick - that daddy could afford. Something that had soul, spunk, character..ya know. I had my heart set at one point on a sawyer, I messaged Curt Inglis and begged for a blem retrotec frame, I set my sights on a soma juice - I dig the company and their stlye. I was ready to purchase and I got this message "out of stock". Moving on...
I have checked out On-One's website on several occasions, mostly because one of my most trusted riding podners' has been shredding one for quite some time now. On One's style is there, the prices are at times unbelievable and they overcame one of my quirks with them - color. WTF, they an inbred frame in my beloved minty green - paypal time!
One week later the box arrives. Box opened, vassago stripped like a fucking catfish, build begins. She built up like it ain't no thang. I purchased the swapout drop version, so she's got options. Unbolted the gear drops, bolted on the horizontal drops...beefy!
First ride at the JCC and BAM! my best time down the left side! The whole time I was descending it was obvious that this bike was a shitton quicker through the tight, switchkbacky corners of my home trail. I used to brake drift the rear wheel of the wocky through the corners and this bike was just stuck like glue to the trail. It was pretty amazing.
I have ridden the inbred at a few different locations now and I will say that sometimes I wish to have the wocky back and sometimes I'm glad to be on the Inbred. They just do different things better and some of it may just come with time on the new ride. For example, the inbred is extremely sensitive to rider input whereas the wocky sorta wasn't. When I would navigate the wocky it was more of a pick the front end up and put it where you want by pivoting off the rear wheel. When I try to do this on the Inbred, the rear end responds as well. Some people call this "flickable" and I wouldn't disagree.
Two wheel drift- The wocky was bad about the front end washing waaaay before the rear end would break traction, so I would end up brake drifting the rear end. The Inbred's front end maintains traction way better and when the wheels break traction and begin their drift, it seems to happen simultaneously, weird. The drift is so controlled and predictable, I found myself trying to force the bike into a drift at oak mtn on cat/dog/snake because of the sheer rush of that feeling.
Now here's where I wish for the wocky - gnarly, full throttle downhills full of rocks and roots, that's where the wocky would say "hold on, I got this shit". The looong chainstays/wheelbase would just eat that shit for lunch. The Inbred, not so much. But again, that may be a honeymoon period type of thang. I was very uncomfortable on my first rigid oak mtn excursion with the Inbred. Last night I cut off the ESI grips, replaced them with tried and true Oury's and bought some mechanix gloves. Mucho better. Although, I never needed that on the Wocky...just sayin'.
So, in conclusion, Wocky= deft gnar shredder. Inbred= deft twisty singletrack slayer.
