A Rose is a Rose is....

not the wheel for me.

I'm so sad. I tried Mary's Majacraft Rose yesterday and I loved it. Well, I loved the top half. Speed was great. Really great.

However. Treadling was another story. It was fine until I adjusted the brake string to get some take-up, and then it just dragged. Grr. I really want a Suzie Pro, but I'll have to try one of them out now to see if it's "a Majacraft thing" or just "a Rose thing."

So far, I've tried a Rose, Sonata, Joy, Polonaise, Mazurka, Fricke ST, Victoria.... and I own a Traveller.

Rose - Love the speed. Too hard to treadle, and have to ratchet up the brake to get any take-up. Dislike the delta orifice and hate the sliding hook.

Sonata - LOVE the treadling, but would have to get a high-speed whorl. Like the cup-hook style flyer and portability. Concerned about production-level durability.

Joy - Just feels unresponsive. Treadling feels gooey (maybe I just hate stretchy drive bands). Not fond of the frame set-up (dangerous for toddler fingers).

Polonaise - Love the speed. Not a fan of the off-center ST. Heavy treadling required, but that was probably becayse it was cranked up way too tight. Need to test-drive a Symphony.

Mazurka - Not even in the running. Darling little wheel, but not heavy enough for my fiber appetite. Plus, I've got the Traveller already and not a fan of ST.

Fricke ST - Well, it's an ST. And kinda homely. It spins great, but I keep feeling like the flyer is going to fall in my lap. Don't like the orifice/flyer either.

Victoria - Kills my knees. Too small. Super portable, though. Just not the thing for me. Spins FANTASTIC, though.