Ventana Mountain Bikes USA El Martillo CX Cyclocross Bike

5/5

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Product Description

Steeped in tradition from years of building classic mountain bike designs like our renowned Marble Peak and El Chiquillo hardtails of the late 80’s and early 90’s, our 2004 cyclocross frame El Martillo CX is destined to become a classic in its own right. We incorporated as many of the outstanding handling features of our early mountain hardtails with our legendary manufacturing skills to yield a light weight, stable, off-road worthy cross frame that is very much a work of art as it is a stellar off-road performer.

With cavernous mud clearance, CNC machined chainstay yoke and wishbone seat stays, ATB standard top routed derailleur cable routing, custom Ventana proprietary drawn, butted and ovalized main tubes, and US cross racing inspired geometry, El Martillo CX will have you grinning from ear to ear and will leave all others drooling in your wake. The CX is a road worthy commuter with a perchance for attacking any and all singletrack connector trails in between with a vengeance. Of course it is…it’s a Ventana!

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Submitted by CaptainAhab a Recreational Rider

Date Reviewed: March 6, 2011

Bottom Line:

So today, for the first ride, I took this bike through its paces. I didn't just want to pedal it around the block and call it a day. So, I did around 40 miles with 4000' of climbing. See ride here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/306650 The hill in Pacific Palisades really tested this things climbing. What I can say about this bike, now that I've tested it in dirt, hit 45 mph on some downhills, went through tons of hilly neighborhoods as fast as I could with lots of turns, climbed a ton, and raced another roadie, is that this was a good choice. This bike handles very well, and has great stiffness and acceleration. It feels really plush, and carves very well at high speeds. It's got the tang of a great handling roadie, with the ability to take some punishment. I jumped curbs, slid the rear wheel out on sandy turns, and tried to stick the front tire in a crevass and get back out again, which it did well. You can tell that whoever designed this frame knew that you weren't going to be spinning laps on your sidewalk, but actually riding it. Surprising, coming from a company known for their mountain bike prowess. Very stiff, fast, nimble, and smooth bike. Even with the long chainstays and relaxed angles, it felt quicker than the Tarmac I sold to buy this one. I over exerted myself out there, and collapsed when I came home in a plate of 12 chicken wings, 3 non-alcoholic beers, a burrito, and some amino acid pills... then woke up an hour later with tons of cramping in my legs. 3 hours later, after my ride, I'm still in that sweaty afterhaze that you get into when you really push it for 3+ hours. Its safe to say that I like the bike. Oh, and the frame feels as comfy as my steel HT 29'er.

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