Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bike Review 2008 Guru Praemio



(Post Sub Title: Jack Be Nimble)

So when I walked into Jack and Adam's the other day and said, "Hey Jack you got a bike I can ride?" I had no idea what I was in store for next. All I did know was Jack was smiling from ear to ear as he led me over to one of the coolest bikes I've ever laid eyes on.

"Wanna ride my new bike," he asked?

Needless to say after words like, "Wow!" and, "Jeez that is one sweet bike!" escaped from my lips, all that was left to say was, "YEAH!"

So the bike Jack pulled off the floor, his own personal ride, was the new Guru Praemio. Needless to say I was impressed. The lines of this bike were simple, yet compelling. White paint and the polished silver of titanium were complemented with white handle bar tape and white sidewall tires. This bike folks, was a thing of utter beauty. I couldn't wait to ride this bike but there was just one condition prior to my test. Because this was Jack's own bike, I would need some special equipment prior to taking his bike for a ride. Mind you this is Austin and on the day I was riding it was 85 degrees outside. But if this one small concession was all it took for a ride on this machine, I was willing to make the sacrifice.



But with all the aesthetic attention to detail, only one question remained. How would this beauty ride? Again I put the bike through my standard tests. There was climbing, turning, acceleration, descent, and plain old tooling around looking very, very cool.

The most noticeable thing I have to report about the Praemio is how quick and responsive this bike felt. It was almost as though my nervous system was hardwired into the frame itself. This bike seemed almost to anticipate my movements and put me where I wanted to go before I could even think about it. Amazing. I could slice through turns, leaning in deeply with confidence and bring the bike back upright without a second thought. On climbs it was as though the pedals danced underneath my feet as opposed to my mashing on them.

I think this bike is for someone who wants and likes to ride aggressively. The Praemio let me do that without question or thought. Because of the responsiveness, I think the Praemio will bring out the more aggressive side of any rider who chooses this bike for their training or racing. The bike is really light without the obvious extra steps that some manufacturers can take to make their bikes invisible to scales. The ride is solid and comfortable, though it wasn't the quietest or the most comfortable titanium I have been on. There was a bike more of the frame noise than I like that can be present when riding either aluminum or titanium, especially on bumpy roads. I can say this bike is a marked improvement over the Guru Tri Ti I tested last year in terms of temperment and agility. It also seems lighter.

The Praemio has four options for pricing(based on components) and two titanium gauges, straight and double butted. Double butted is more expensive. You can find detailed information and the specs here. Like all Guru's after you choose the basic options, you are free to customize the ride with everything from level of stiffness and paint to the extent your wallet will allow.

All I know is now that Jack has one of these and he's motivated to ride, you'd best be nimble, and you'd best be quick, otherwise Jack'll be beating you in next spring's crit.

2 comments:

BreeWee said...

Nice rhyme Ace! too funny, Kainoa even likes it :)

Hey, I totally dare you to get all fired up on the weights and get a photo arm wrestling a big guy! It is so much fun, you will laugh your bum off! Gotta make training fun right?!

Triteacher said...

I AM in the market for a new bike. And responsive, quick? Sold!

I like the rhyme too; that bike brought out the playfulness in you.

Finally, thank you for the comment on my blog. It has one of the nicest ones I've ever received.

Namaste right back atchya,
TT.