To go back in time just a bit, after ridding some of the excess from my life in regard to bicycles, I thought the one thing truly missing from my fold was a dedicated road bike. However, I didn't want a road bike that would take only sub-28mm tires, so finding what I was looking for was a bit of a challenge. Granted, there are many more wide-tire-capable bikes of all types today then have been available in the past, but it's still somewhat difficult to find true road bikes with the ability to take a wider tire -- particularly when the rider would prefer a steel bike. While steel bikes with wider clearances are usually easier to find, steel road bikes with wide tire clearances are just as much a unicorn as any other material.
Searching went on for some time, and as the hunt continued, I started to ponder whether I wanted a truly road-only bike, or if it would be better to look at something that is lighter weight that could function as a road bike, but that would also permit off-road riding on a whim. An adventure/gravel bike seemed to make sense in some ways, so the search kind of veered off in that direction. Whether that was the right decision to make is questionable to me at this point, but it's how I ended up with the choice I made.
Initially, I was excited to find the frame at a discounted price which is kind of what pushed me into the Tripster direction (never a good reason to buy a bike, I'll admit). I was having difficulty deciding between a few frames though and not being able to test any of them, and after having read a plethora of information and reviews on each, this frame seemed like a good bet.
In typical EVL fashion, this bike was built, then re-configured, and then put back to the original set up. After initially setting it up as a "road" build with drop bars and a double compact crank, I thought that it might work better with my Jones bars and a triple crank instead. The problem, however, was that we just couldn't get the shifting to work with this set up. Ugh. So, back we went to the first build, with very minor modifications.
The Tripster was ridden in both configurations, but with the triple set up it wasn't taken far due to the shifting issues. After having it rebuilt as a more road-centered ride, I struggled through a few more rides. I continued to think that the reason for the struggling was my lack of ability, lack of riding alone for any distance and so on, but after one final ride that sent me over the edge, I just couldn't bring myself to get back on the bike.
Since I have bikes that function in a more intermediate role (gravel, can carry a bit of a load, etc), it didn't make sense to keep this bike. Ultimately, the frame was sold to someone who was looking for more of an "adventure" bike, for which I believe this bike to be perfectly suited. As a road bike, however, it was less than ideal.
The qualities of this bike and geometry make it well-suited for long distance gravel adventures, but despite the ATR (Adventure, Tour, Race) designation, I didn't find it to be particularly race-like. It was incredibly comfortable and I could easily see how throwing some bags on it and taking it on a long distance adventure would be a perfect use of this bike, but trying to turn it into a road bike for faster paved rides was a huge mistake and definitely didn't bring out the best qualities for this particular bicycle.
What I did find intriguing about this option was the frame material. Again, having never ridden a titanium bike prior to this experience, I have no way to know how it compares to others, but I have to say that I was impressed by the feel of the ride. It's something that has stuck with me, even months after saying goodbye to the bike. If this is how every titanium frame feels, my goodness, I'm amazed that more people don't ride it! I know that it comes at a cost, but it really was one of the, if not the smoothest ride I've ever experienced. It was one of those experiences that could easily send me down the rabbit hole in which all I ever want to ride are titanium frames -- it was that good.
Even to this moment, I don't know if it was the combination of the geometry and the material or just the material that brought the smoothness of the bike. I suppose the only true way to know with certainty is to have more titanium bike tests, though I don't see that as a horribly likely option because I don't possess the financial means to do multiple tests at this price point. Still, it doesn't keep me from wondering about this material and how it could be beneficial for various types of bikes from road to mountain and those types in between.
As for the plan of obtaining a dedicated road bike, I have since made another purchase (in steel) that I'll be starting to test soon. It took a bit of time to figure out which direction to go for the next test, and I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but I believe this round will make more sense for my needs moving forward.
