i never really liked that stem on nat’s dirt jumper. nothing against the thomson stem, it’s very light and extremely well made, but with modern bike geometries long stems are no longer required. we just happened to have this one around and it was lighter than the original giant unit and not much longer.
it’s partly why i didn’t like the way the giant steers. it’s a strange feeling, running a long stem after using a 35mm for a while. nat was keen to perform the operation herself, and she did a perfect job, too. i guess now i’m not even needed to help her fix her bike any more.
we all know that dirt jumpers are very fashion conscious people and that little crowned skull is just too cute.
nat loves it and a few splashes of red look great on the black bike. i think it steers a lot better, too, but who cares when it looks so good.
it’s great to see nat is still enjoying practice at red hill. she’s getting very good now.