A long awaited SODA has been sent by COTIC to Jon...

Its 9:15 Tuesday 3rd of January. I'm trying to get my head around being back at work. Phone rings. It's the girlfriend, "is it here yet?" "Nope"

10:00 - Phone rings. It's the girlfriend again, "is it here yet?" "Nope..."

11:00 - Phone rings. It's the girlfriend AGAIN, "is it ..." "Nope"

11:30 - Phone rings. It can't surely be her AGAIN! Nope. Reception. "You've got a really big box down here". "Be there in a sec". Dump the phone down. Charge across the office, through the door (Ouch. Helps if you open it first). Down the stairs and into reception. BIG brown box sitting there.

Grab box and retreat to a quiet corner of the warehouse for the opening ceremony (complete with camera so I can post smug pics on Singletrackworld)

Frenzied work with the Stanley knife reveals bubble wrap. Oooh the teasing. the temptation. After the bubble wrap, big plastic bag, and then there it is 3.3lb of titanium gorgeousness. I stand there and fondle for a few moments, noting the appearance of smeary fingerprints on the previously immaculate finish.

Welcome to the sad world of bike fetishism. How can a lump of inanimate metal that works exactly the same as the existing lump of metal I have under the stairs at home, but costs twice as much and weighs 25% less arouse such feelings of lust. Dunno, but it does. Gods we can be a sad bunch...

16:00 The bosses are still on holiday. Right. Bugger this. I'm off.

17:00 Sitting at home with a cuppa. Still stroking.

18:00. Seatpost, headset and forks are on.

18:30. @£$%^ing Avid Juicies and their @£$%^ing stupid bleed kits!

19:00 @£$%^ing Avid Juicies and their @£$%^ing stupid bleed kits! Brake fluid now all over the workshop. GMMNNNNNN!

19:15. That's better.

20:00 Gears and back wheel on. Starting to REALLY look the dogs danglies.

20:30. Grips and final titivation. Hoik it down off the stand. Roll it into the kitchen and sit there and look at it. Funny old world, it looks just like my Soul, only a little beefier and an awful lot shinier. Still giving me the raging horn though. Girlfriend wanders in (she'd been avoiding the area, having heard the cursing between 18:30 and 19:15). She stand's there and admires for a moment, then a plaintive, "I want!" "Well you can't have it, buy yer own" comes the retort. Sit there a while longer. Finally think about taking it round the block. Open the door. Its pishing down. Close the door. I'm not getting it dirty yet. Sit back down again and start polishing off the fingerprints ...

COME ON SUNDAY! HURRY UP! I WANT TO GO PLAY IN THE WOODS!!!

All words and photos belong to Jonathan Edwards