dpetteys

I built the XO AXS RSV version for my wife a couple days ago, when it arrived I knew nothing about it, so it was interesting unpacking it and looking at the specs. I was initially a bit surprised how trail oriented it is. However, if you wanted to build it up racier the stack height is super low and the RF stem spec'ed on it offers a lot of flexibility. I think the flexibility is really what they were going for. If you think about the percentage of people who are riding pedal bikes, it sadly is getting lower every year. Then the subset of those riders who want that no compromises race bike is really small. Don't get me wrong, I have a racing background and appreciate the singular focus bikes, but that is a tough market. My wife is not a racer, but we generally build up a fairly racy bike for her because she is really light, fit, enjoys pedaling, and is not into technical downhills. We may end up throwing some lighter tires on it but all in all, the build is pretty killer for her. As a mechanic, the bike was a joy to build. I will take the minor weight penalty of full tube internal cable routing over some blind holes in the frame any day. Not that I had any problem with external routing, but there is a lot to be said for ease of maintenance on a bike, especially a race bike that may see a lot of miles. I also really appreciate that there is no goofy head set cable routing or proprietary cockpit. I am glad that SCB have stuck to some fairly tried and true standards over the years so the amount of common parts between all of our bikes makes my life a lot easier keeping spares around. I wish that I wasn't over a foot taller, and 100 lbs heavier than her, I can't really ride it for much besides bedding her brakes. It's a pretty badass little bike.

@mwysel: Silca strip chips work great for new greasy chains. They take all the hassle out of preparing new chains.

@Lostrodamus: I ordered straight from their website, shipped to the states no problem. It's been a while, but I don't recall it being unreasonable to ship or anything.

@nnowak: Agreed, I really like that stuff for the Santa Cruz area's very dusty to mild mud conditions. It works great, all the chains showed minimal wear, it's quiet and a bit easier to apply than some of the other drip waxes I have tried. Bonus points for being eco-friendly without any performance compromise.

Personally, I love what Kitsbow is doing. Making high quality, non-disposable gear in the US, reducing waste, and putting money back into the community in a thoughtful way. The made to order thing is great, they can have more sizes available without sewing a ton of clothes they might not be able to sell easily. Wait times are pretty minimal usually. Yes, some of their stuff is expensive, some isn't too bad though. Their super flow cooling tee is my all time favorite summer jersey, and not horribly expensive at $69 at full retail. Granted, I am fortunate to be at a point in my life where I can afford to spend extra money on quality gear or to support a company whose philosophy I believe in. Their stuff fits me super well, it's well made, and they are a cool company. To me it is absolutely worth spending the money on. Too bad the timing of this article is a little off because they just had a virtual tent sale where things were 50% off. One other thing, if you like the company and want to support them they are doing some crowdfunding through Wefunder right now. With only a $100 minimum investment, it's pretty easy to help further their vision. https://wefunder.com/kitsbow