2 x (1 x 1) x 29

Near the end of our last mountain bike ride, and just after BeanSS rolled/bashed her trusty VooDoo Nzumbi singlespeed over about the millionth babyhead of the day, she said the magic words: "I think maybe it's time to try a 29er." Now, that's my girl. I felt the same warm feeling I experience every time she opts for a can of PBR instead of filling her stemware with Riesling.

I went through various company websites and checked out the forums for reviews of steel frames or complete bikes I thought might share some of the VooDoo blood, such as (of course), the VooDoo Soukri. There were none to be found in her size, unfortunately. I don't know much about Soma, BeanSS didn't like the flashy paint job on the current Salsa El Mariachi, and I'm no longer interested in dealing with non-sliding dropouts or EBBs, meaning the otherwise cool Surly, Vassago, and On-One frames weren't options.

VooDoo shares a connection to Kona via Joe Murray, and I really like my own 2011 Unit 29er.  I popped into Arizona Bicycle Experts on Saturday and there it was, a 2013 Kona Unit with a 16" frame and the coolest non-paint job I've ever seen (clear-coated, bead-blasted, bare steel). A.B.E. is closed on Sunday (they ride), so we went back and picked it up this afternoon. After swapping a WTB Speed She saddle for the stock Silverado (which I immediately yoinked for my own use), and adding a bottle cage and SPDs, she took it out to hit some of the paved and dirt roads near our house. I, of course, rode my own Unit so we'd be matchies.

Despite loading her up with my own opinions about what 29ers do better (than 26ers) and what they do worse, and how they need to be ridden a bit differently, the feedback from BeanSS ended up being just a few more simple words: "This bike just goes."

Anyway, we just went and went on the bikes that go until the sunset forced us back home. I'm now a bit encouraged/concerned that she'll eventually gravitate to an all-29er fleet and leave the 26"-wheeled bikes collecting dust, just like I did.