Barrington's CXC

Barry sent us details of his CXC build and his first impressions of the finished bike:

"MY BIKE

It all began in the early summer.

I decided I wanted to change my current cyclo-cross frame for something different. I began trawling the usual websites; it seemed all the good quality frames were made for disc brakes.

Not wishing to travel down that route, after all, I had the equipment required, normal wheels and brakes etc, I just wanted a nice carbon frame to transfer my current equipment on to.

I was about to give up, then "WOW!" I came across the ‘Handsling Racing’ site. I found just what I was looking for, at a very reasonable price. I contacted Simon Whiten, we discussed my requirements and decided the colour scheme.

Three weeks later I receive a telephone call from Simon; my new frame is built and ready. He was going to deliver my frame personally. Simon duly arrived; when I saw the frame I was filled with childish excitement - it looked beautiful.

In fact it sat in my hall for a week for all to admire.

I gave it a nice coat of polish, and then I was ready to go.

The build was trouble free, ‘Dura-ace’ front and rear mech, cassette and chain, backed up with ‘Ultegra’ chainset and levers. A nice deep pair of Belgian bars, ‘Pro’ carbon stem and seatpost, a pair of ‘Dura-ace C24’ wheels completed the build.

The red bar tape turned out to be perfect, matching the red on the frame exactly, this was pure luck. The cable routing is fantastic and easy; so neat.

Now for the ride...

I took various allen keys just in case, they were not required. Normally I use a rather lumpy circuit, lots of ups and downs. Immediately I noticed how comfortable the ride was. Climbing was a doddle, so responsive, when descending the bike seemed very sure of itself, no dodgy moments at all.

I completed my 30 ride in the same time as I do on my normal road bike. That speaks for itself.

I would certainly recommend the ‘Handsling’ frame to my friends. This frame also carries a 2 year warranty.

Barrington Day"