On a wet Thursday at the back end of January 2017, there was a heavy pounding on the front door… with a very wet TNT driver standing there trying to deliver a very large box…!
My new bike had arrived….
I unboxed it and looked it over… it was fantastic… awesome… stunning… magnificent… racy and colourful… and in lots of bits…
It was my new bike – a SpeedX Leopard Pro.
I had first seen the bike on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform in early March 2016.
I looked very hard and weighed up all the pros and cons of ordering a Chinese bike, of an unknown brand, with all the problems that people were reporting.
The price was good and the specification was astronomical.
All carbon, Shimano Ultergra Di2 11 speed gears. Carbon aero wheels. What’s not to be impressed.
There were 2 version available – the Leopard, Shimano 105 with carbon frame and standard handlebar and frame and the Leopard Pro, Shimano Di2 with all carbon and carbon wheels.
The wires were all integrated, giving a very streamlined and aero look.
And so, I brought out the Credit Card and ordered a Leopard Pro in Black and Red.
As an aside, with all crowdfunding platforms, if the Project Target is not reached, then you will not be charged.
Anyway, back to the bike; there it was in the middle of my front room, gleaming and smelling like only a new bike can.
A hurried general assembly of pedals, wheels, handlebars, seat post etc. ensued, and it was ready for a short ‘test’ ride.
On with the bike shoes and helmet and a short ride around the block.
It was brilliant, very quick and responsive, then I found out I hadn’t tightened up the stem, so turning the handlebars, made no difference to the direction you wanted to travel.
I was only going slowly, so no damage. Gingerly rode back home, having decided to do a more in depth check on the nuts and bolts.
Two things were apparent, the bike ‘might’ be too big, and the brakes were ‘the wrong way around’.
The size could be rectified with a couple of adjustments. As far as the brakes were concerned, it was off to my LBS for the brakes to be swapped around.
Here in the UK, the front brake is on the Right-Hand side of the bike, and the rear brake is on the Left-Hand Side. International bikes are the other way ‘round.
And so, my biking experience on a new bike begins.