I’ll take exception to this, whatever the ultrasonic tester showed did not impart anything on the ride quality. I had a M frame and it rode like a brick. Frame was 5 lbs and fork was 2.8 pounds - the fork weighs almost as much as a rigid 29er fork! and the frame was 3/4 of a pound heavier than other all-road QR disc frames in the same size! In comparison (the bike I replaced the Masi with), the Soma Fog Cutter 54cm frame weight 4.3 pounds, Soma Low-Trail Fork 2 pounds.
It’s an ok bike but it’s not going to plane. Regular ass Soma and All-City rode a ton better than the Masi.
Also a Kona rove, something from soma, or polyvalent if you can figure out how to get it built for cheaper. I’d say if you do polyvalent just don’t mention lowtrail and build it with a big ass basket.
My cousin just moved to Seattle and wants to start riding bikes…she’s a traveling nurse and a super fit runner. She likes the idea of mountain biking but mainly wants to do ~30 mile rides in the city for fitness. Jenson has 650b Kona Roves for $700. Seems right? I’m kind of assuming she actually doesn’t want a mountain bike.
I mean…QR, mechanical dicks, 8 speed but functionally cromulent. ??
Definitely have her test ride bikes instead of buying one off of the internet.
My wife is a normie cyclist and marathoner and she was dead set on a Jamis Renegade after internet research. She ended up on a steel 650b Rove. Totally different bike in almost every way. I could tell from tagging along on the test rides that she was more at ease on that bike on city roads.
Steel rove is an excellent normie bike if she can swing the cost difference. Feels way better built than the Al ones.