Bike Review: Grammo Toa

I told the guys at Grammo that I would write a review on this bike. I haven't written a review yet because this is usually what happens to me when I mountain bike:

This is about the time I really squeak :(

The first time I rode the Toa was at Fall Flash. I decided to "race" Fall Flash for some extra dirt fun. I raced the Expert category, even though I'm no expert. I went out for a practice lap and I was amazed at how easily the bike handled. The Toa is a hard tail but it was still as if I were riding on a fluffly cloud. I was happy and impressed with that. Too bad that I flatted on the first race, but still. The second race on it was even more awesome because I was more comfortable with the bike and decided to have a little bit of fun with it... and I didn't crash on either race!

Point and shoot at its finest.

I then decided that, hey, now that I have a pretty sweet ride, I want to go out and do some more fun rides, so I went out and rode the Connector and Forest Hill Divide Loop for the first time. Okay, so that time I did crash, but it wasn't because of the bike. I crashed because I'm dumb and I can't turn on slippery and dry dirt. 

Boom! Sprinter's leg.

Those trails are a bit more technical than the ones I usually ride. That's what I want, though. I want to keep going out of my comfort zone so my skills can improve. Now that I have an awesome bike for it, I'm able to do so without freaking myself out too much. The fact that I enjoy wearing the trail is a different story that I have no desire to explain (mostly because it just means that I'm still a newb when it comes to riding dirt). The squeaking happens when I'm scared. It's amusing and cheap entertainment for those who ride with me. 

The bike rolls over pretty much anything that I point it at, except for giant logs and boulders. Apparently I need a new skill set for those obstacles or something. Lines that I would have never thought of taking come easy with the Toa. Surprisingly easy. It's almost as if there was a catch to it... maybe it'll sprout a brain and buck me off after each obstacle or something, but no. This is a bike and that's completely irrational to think it would ever do that to me. I think...

I've gone back to the Forest Hill Divide Loop and each time, I ride more and more of the trickier stuff. Same with Granite Bay. I've even gone to Truckee on trails that I've never seen before and had an absolute blast (and surprisingly didn't crash). In fact, I haven't really crashed since the crash that I mentioned earlier (so now I'm going to crash on my next ride. Smooth.)

Pretty sweet, eh?

The bike is awesome. I'm simply in love with it. I felt right at home as soon as I got on it and it gives me the confidence to tackle things I haven't tackled before. I've definitely become a much better mountain biker since I got this bike. It's gotten me addicted to the dirt.

I never knew the 3 more inches could be so satisfying.