NBD: Ventum GS1 with nothing but good things to say

BLUF: Absolutely incredible bike and just as good purchase experience.

I recently purchased a GS1 from Ventum and could not be happier with it. It has an incredible snappy feel and is so much lighter than my old Canyon Grizl. Here are a few highlights after unboxing and one week of riding:

• Bulletproof packaging: The box was torn to pieces when the bike arrived. I was so scared to open the box but all of the supports, styrofoam and bubble wrap probably could have been shipped without a box and been fine.
• Included everything to build and more: good instructions, a torque wrench, SRAM battery and charger, even a few bits for the wrench. The torque wrench was a little crappy so I used my own but still, the idea is great! The box also had some sweet Ventum wheel covers and drawstring bag which was an unexpected bonus!
• Wiiiiiiide tire clearance: the bike comes with 45mm goodyear tires which was my only complaint about the original build. I have some great single track I love to ride but really wanted a meatier tire to do it on. I found a picture of the GS1 at sea otter this year with 2.1 Thunder Burts on and decided to give them a try. They fit just fine and made my local single track a breeze!
• Perfect groupset: I cannot rave about this SRAM Force XPLR enough. The shifting is incredible, even under full load. There's a single sided power meter included which is great. But the biggest thumbs up is the shifters, they are truly perfect. The braking is smooth and powerful, and hoods fit my hands perfectly. A massive upgrade from my old rival hoods.
• Great customer service: I talked through sizing with a very knowledgable representative who helped me oder the perfect size including bar/stem and crank length. I also asked if they had a military/first responder discount and they sent me a discount code right over! It took about 3 weeks to fulfill the order and I kept pestering them for updates (was just too excited to sit quietly) which they were always so helpful in their responses.

I cannot recommend this product enough! Now to get some training in and really race this sweet rig this spring.