ISH v. IF

Ahhhh, the Independent Fabrication XS. IF’s flagship (well, before they rolled out the all-carbon Corvid…) is built from full custom-made carbon fiber tubes attached to titanium lugs (yep, also custom fabbed), all done in Somerville, MA. When IF stopped by NYC Velo for the now famous “IF You Please” ride with this beautiful red Carbon/Ti XS in tow, I could not resist the opportunity to “borrow” the bike as a demo. The XS – or rather, “My New XS” – accompanied me to Fairfield, CT for 60 miles of not-quite-urban, not-quite-rural riding.

“My New XS” was a natural fit. Its 60cm top tube and a 11cm stem (I’m 6 feet 2 inches) positioned me perfectly. I believe I heard the bike say: “ride me!!” “My New XS” was set up with top level components throughout, including a SRAM RED gruppo, Mavic R-SYS wheels and a 3T cockpit. Fairfield ended up being the perfect locale to test the attributes of a bike of the XS’s caliber. Connecticut is littered with long-ish climbs, fast descents, and flat straightaways where my inner Tom Boonen could drop the muffinflipping hammer.

While it may be “My New XS”, the demo bike was not, in fact, made for me. That being said, I was surprised to discover that the bike felt very balanced. The handling was not twitchy like some racing bikes and not “slow-as-you-go” stable like my dad’s Roubaix. The ride of My New XS felt, simply, out of this world – just like a bike crafted out of these materials should. Stiff for when Mr. Boonen demands yet compliant over the proverbial cobbles.

There are two warnings about this bike that I feel obligated to
tell anyone who’s in the practice of heeding warnings:

1). This bike is simply beautiful and will lead to excessive staring, so much so that significant others may start to worry about how they slot in your list of priorities (I know mine did).

2). The XS spoils you for many if not all lesser bikes. I had a tough time giving My New XS back, and I am currently rethinking my previous bike buying choices.

Go ahead, get that second mortgage, Your New XS will be worth it!