I was thinking maybe 9-ish? (9 to 9:30) Have a cup then head out to the spit. Sorry I took so long to reply, just got in from a quick ride.

Operator: if you're referring to the BB height of the Sputnik, then I have no idea how that characteristic would affect the smoothness of the ride. However, I was thinking it might be the lack of any manipulation in the seat stays, which would make the frame feel very harsh.

Shapelike: I never thought of how the bikes should feel when I shoulder them. Thanks! Part of the difficulty I can see with buying a bike from La Bicicletta is that they haven't got many, if any built up cross bikes. So, if I wanted to test one out, they'd have to build it first, and I'd feel like crap if they went to that effort without me buying the thing.