So yesterday, after my morning ride on the Epic, I changed clothes, grabbed a bottle of the new chocolate Fluid recovery drink, and rode over to a bike festival that a local land access group was putting on. I figured the Epic needed a rest so I picked out the SS Jabberwocky and headed out.
Right away I was smiling, even pedaling down the street. I really like that bike. In fact, as I have ridden more and more SS bikes, I keep coming back to the Jabber as the ride of choice. I know that some day I will have my head turned and retire it, but for the money (or even more $$), it is a fine bike. Stiff in the right places, rides well, weight is OK, handling is slow but steady....good trail partner, that Jabber.
Now that Vassago (they make the Jabberwocky) is coming out with the Black Label frames, a hand made in the US of A product with grade AA tubing and a grade AA price tag, it will be interesting to see how it turns out for them. The Jabber is about a $500.00 frame IIRC. The Black Label bikes are in the $1500.00 range. Wow. That is a BIG jump. If they are, say, a half pound lighter with a sliding dropout and a tighter geo, well, those are good upgrades. If it rides a bit nicer, then that is fine too. But three times the cost? I bet it is not three times better to ride compared to the Jabber.
That is into the custom range of builders like Waltworks. Now, the upside is no wait for the custom shop to build the frame and you know exactly what you are getting since they are all the same. What you see on the website is what ya get. Walk into the bike shop and point..."I want that one!". And that has value too.
We shall see how it turns out for them. I hope very well, as a slightly better Jabber is enough to get me pretty excited, seeing as how much I like the old one.
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