Originally Posted by dog hair
i wasn't a huge fan of the talon when i tested it.
I had the most bizarre reaction (or rather, non-reaction) when I test-rode a Talon SL. I rode about 6 bikes that day, and with most of them it was pretty obvious within the first half mile or so "I like this" or "I don't like this" and after a couple more miles I was finding it pretty easy to prioritize them: "this one isn't as smooth as the last one, but it's not as twitchy as the one before that" or "I like this one better than everything I've ridden today" etc etc
...except for the Kestrel. I got off the Talon SL after doing 2 or 3 miles and just said "um...I guess that was interesting." For inexplicable reasons I could generate *no* feedback about that bike. It looked cool as heck, the build quality & components were first rate, the price was right... but I felt NOTHING. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, just found myself at this odd loss for words or ideas or sensations. And it wasn't even the last bike I tested that day, so it's not as if I was burnt out from option anxiety or decision paralysis. Weird. Part of me wishes I'd spent the time on subsequent days to test ride it further if for no other reason than to try to nail down why I wasn't able to muster a qualitative opinion about that bike.