{"id":731,"date":"2026-11-09T12:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T12:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/oybb\/?p=731"},"modified":"2026-11-09T15:17:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:17:35","slug":"staff-bike-check-megamo-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/oybb\/staff-bike-check-megamo-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Bike Check \/ Megamo West 01"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Josh\u2019s 2026 Megamo West 01<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working in a bike shop means spending quite a lot of time thinking about your next bike. For Josh, our Blackburn mechanic, the answer was a Megamo West 01. A very capable gravel bike with a lovely one piece cockpit, generous tyre clearance and, most importantly, purple paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019d tell you to come along on a staff ride and see it for yourself, but Josh confirming his attendance isn\u2019t quite the same as Josh attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he does turn up, though, the West gets put to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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see our next ride here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A loose interpretation of gravel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gravel means different things to different people, somewhere on the spectrum between a road hack and full on downhill run. For some, it might be quiet lanes, forest roads and a caf\u00e9 stop. Josh\u2019s interpretation includes trails that most people would bring at least 120mm of travel to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That makes his praise for the West\u2019s ride quality particularly relevant. He describes it as supple and compliant, taking the sting out of rough ground and keeping things comfortable when the surface gets messy. Given what he\u2019s asking it to ride over, or send it down, that\u2019s a fairly strong endorsement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The generous tyre clearance is another highlight. Room for bigger rubber is useful on any gravel bike, but especially when your route planning appears to involve checking where the mountain bikers are going and following them. Josh is currently running a 2.1-inch Vittoria Mezcal up front, paired with a 50mm Vittoria Terreno T50 at the rear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clearly a bike with plenty of capability. Josh is making quite sure none of it goes unused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cockpit perfection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ask Josh what he likes about the West and the one piece cockpit gets an immediate mention. His verdict: flawless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For someone who spends his working day finding things that need adjusting, replacing or explaining to customers, that\u2019s high praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives the bike a beautifully tidy front end, and it\u2019s one of the details he\u2019s particularly pleased with out on the trails. There\u2019s a lot to like about a bike that looks this clean while being ridden somewhere quite so filthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, it\u2019s purple<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We could spend longer discussing the finer points of the West, but we should give appropriate attention to one of Josh\u2019s main reasons for liking it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s purple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A perfectly valid consideration. You can study geometry charts and compare components for weeks, but at some point you still want to open the shed and think \u201cthat looks good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The West comfortably passes that test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small seatpost discussion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Josh\u2019s one reservation concerns the lightweight seat post setup, which he\u2019s experienced slipping during some of his more enthusiastic outings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For traditional gravel riding, he considers it perfectly suitable. His riding, however, regularly ventures into what most people would describe as fairly hardcore mountain biking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n