KymNonStop's 2017 Cordoba

I got the new Cordoba on Monday. I was flying to Bogota on Thursday.  After quickly swapping the components from my Diamond over, I took it for a spin.  The weather in NY was unseasonably warm, swaying me to turn my quick spin into an impromptu tour of south Brooklyn. My first thought as I rode down Kent ave: This bike feels familiar.  I’d met the Cordoba before, last year. My 2015 Cordoba wore a bright green coat of paint. But this new version, stripped down in shiny raw metal, felt racier. stiffer. quicker.

The build from my Diamond included my Zipp 404’s, the Zipp SL Sprint carbon stem with Cadence Evo Curve bars and Omnium cranks. But with Cielos Infernales, a long-format climbing race, just days away, my 49/15 crit ratio had to go.  I swapped my chainring to 47 and dusted off my 19-tooth Surly cog, dropping a whole 21 gear inches.

With my climbing gear on, skidding was a breeze. I spent the next few days whip skidding through the city, enjoying the simplicity of brakelessness.  The Cordoba felt like a good pair of jeans- casual, durable, and comfy. I ended up nudging my seat forward a bit to compensate for the longer top tube but otherwise the fit was nearly the same.

The day of my flight I made one last swap- replacing my 25mm Gatorskins for Zipp Tangente R30’s. The course I would be racing on was all-terrain and I wanted a more traction for the mud and rocks.

Oh and the final touch? A water bottle cage, hose-clamped on, just like I used to do in my messenger days when I would pack my tent in my work bag and tour on my fixed gear.