Masi Speciale CX
As I am still pining for a cyclocross bike I rode to University Bikes after work and took a Masi Speciale CX out for a test ride. I had not really considered Masi, or for that matter even heard of them, but the bike caught my eye. This bike is a beauty – root beer colored frame, cork grips, and a leather saddle. The sales guy quickly saw a bit of drool starting to form and easily convinced me to take it out for a ride.
I loved the fit – I did not feel too stretched as I had with the GT Type CX during my previous cyclocross adventure. Unfortunately I did not love the grips; the cork had no padding and was painfully narrow on the bars. While this is a fairly simple upgrade I am still disappointed that something so obvious and simple to fix was missed. Another major difference from the previous cross bikes I tested was the TruVativ Touro 2.1 Compact 50/34 crankset. I greatly preferred the smaller gearing of the SRAM Rival OCT CX 46/38, and subsequently easier shifting between rings, but that is just a personal preference. Unsurprisingly the Shimano Tiagra shifters were not as smooth as the SRAM Rival but I did not have to deal with the minor mental change to the Doubletap shifting.
Finally, the frame. I forgot how much I love steel. My Lemond Buenos Aires road bike has a steel frame and, as evident from my recent rental of an aluminum frame, provides a blissfully compliant ride. The Speciale CX’s chromoly steel frame was equally awesome, offering me a very smooth and comfortable ride. The only other frame that came close was the Trek XO 2 and I suspect that was primarily due to the Bontrager Satellite Plus carbon fork. Unfortunately with steel comes weight and the Masi was no exception weighing in at slightly north of 24 pounds. Overall I really enjoyed the bike and, if I do not by the Speciale CX itself, will likely be picking up a CX bike with a steel frame. If only there was a Gary Fisher Presidio within 100 miles I could try…
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