James' 24 Hour Test Ride or "Why am I Mr. Pink?"
On January 14th our pals over at All-City released the new Mr. Pink road bike. We were lucky to be one of the few shops to have a few in stock on the day of the launch. All-City had been leaking little tid-bits for a few days leading up to the launch. Judging by the reaction on social media we knew the new Mr. Pink was going to be huge!
As a shop owner, it can be hard to communicate how certain bikes ride. A 15 minute test ride around the block will give you a pretty good idea of fit and feel, but how it will handle on different road services, in varying weather conditions or up that long hill on your commute to work isn't easy to determine from inside the shop.
We've never had anyone come back from an All-City test ride unsatisfied but we thought, "What if you could test ride a bike for 24 hours? Then you'd really know, with all certainty, how a bike feels before you take it home." So we decided to run a contest allowing the lucky winner to own a brand new Mr. Pink for an entire day.
James was the lucky winner and he was kind enough to write up a little review for everyone documenting his day in the life. Thanks James.
-Spoked Matt
Why am I Mr. Pink?
Smooth, fast, beautiful, and practical.
Ever since I saw the cherry red Mr. Pink on a shop floor in 2014, I have wanted one. Columbus steel, clearance for huge tires (32s - or some 35s!), fender mounts, and great style. Road, commuting, gravel - this is a bike that could take you a lot of places. I ended up buying a different All-City that day (Nature Boy) - and three others since then (Space Horse, Nature Boy Zona, and Log Lady) - but it had always stayed in my mind.
Fast forward to 2017.
Over the last few years, All-City has been tweaking and improving their lineup, and the Mr. Pink is no exception. Gone are the PF30 bottom bracket, ten speed Shimano/FSA groupset, mixed cockpit components, and steel fork. The 2016 model introduced the BSA bottom bracket and Rival 22 group, and the latest iteration adds a matching Zipp cockpit and a slick Whisky carbon fork that was engineered specifically to match this bike. The complete build package is as nice as anything All-City has ever put together, and the Merckx Team Motorola-inspired paintjob is just killer.
The ride.
Spoked Bikes & Stuff raffled a 24-hour test ride as part of their 2017 Mr. Pink Release Party in January. As someone who has wanted one of these bikes for years, I jumped at the opportunity and was fortunate enough to win. The next weekend's forecast was unseasonable - sun all day, and temps in the mid-70s! I installed a saddle that I am familiar with, as well as a set of iSSi road pedals provided by Spoked, and met up with a couple of friends to hit the road. Over the next few hours, I ended up riding fifty six miles total, through road, gravel, grass, and dirt. The Mr. Pink took everything I threw at it like a champ.
Verdict.
The carbon fork was an upgrade that I was a little skeptical about on paper. I have steel forks on most of my bikes, including my All-Citys. I like the way they look, and really like the way they ride - predictable and solid, but comfortable at the same time. That said, the combination of the Columbus Zona frame with the new Whisky carbon fork makes this bike. It's lighter, sure, so obviously it's going to climb better, but it really eats up the chatter you'll encounter on gravel and rough roads, and even riding on the stock 28c tires, I was as comfortable after a half century as I have ever been. The Rival 22 groupset was practically invisible, which is about as high of praise as I can offer a shift group, especially on a bike I had not ridden before. Never had to think about it, which made it easier to take in the scenery and environment. All-City even thoughtfully spec'ed a WiFli rear derailleur so that you can install an 11-32 cassette for steeper climbs. Add in a set of 32 or 35c tires, there really wouldn't be a limit to the "enduro gravel adventure all-road" rides that you can do. The off-the-rack Mr. Pink has become a legit choice to be one's 'only' road bike.
