diff --git a/src/App.ts b/src/App.ts
index 22c41a4a..06c0103b 100644
--- a/src/App.ts
+++ b/src/App.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import { EventEmitter } from 'events';
 import { basename } from 'path';
 
-import { type Model } from 'racer';
+import { type Model, type RootModel, createModel } from 'racer';
 import { util } from 'racer';
 
 import * as components from './components';
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ export abstract class AppBase extends EventEmitter {
   proto: any;
   views: Views;
   tracksRoutes: Routes;
-  model: Model;
+  model: RootModel;
   page: Page;
   protected _pendingComponentMap: Record<string, ComponentConstructor | SingletonComponentConstructor>;
   protected _waitForAttach: boolean;
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ export abstract class AppBase extends EventEmitter {
 
   abstract _init(options?: AppOptions);
   loadViews(_viewFilename, _viewName?) { }
-  loadStyles(_filename, _options) { }
+  loadStyles(_filename, _options?) { }
 
   component(constructor: ComponentConstructor | SingletonComponentConstructor): this;
   component(name: string, constructor: ComponentConstructor | SingletonComponentConstructor, isDependency?: boolean): this;
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ export class App extends AppBase {
   _init(_options) {
     this._waitForAttach = true;
     this._cancelAttach = false;
-    this.model = new this.derby.Model();
+    this.model = createModel();
     const serializedViews = this._views();
     serializedViews(derbyTemplates, this.views);
     // Must init async so that app.on('model') listeners can be added.
diff --git a/src/AppForServer.ts b/src/AppForServer.ts
index b56e81ab..7b8e6fe3 100644
--- a/src/AppForServer.ts
+++ b/src/AppForServer.ts
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ export class AppForServer extends AppBase {
 
   // overload w different signatures, but different use cases
   createPage(req, res, next) {
-    const model = req.model || new racer.Model();
+    const model = req.model || racer.createModel();
     this.emit('model', model);
 
     const Page = this.Page as unknown as typeof PageForServer;
diff --git a/src/Derby.ts b/src/Derby.ts
index 71dd606d..dda783ef 100644
--- a/src/Derby.ts
+++ b/src/Derby.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * Meant to be the entry point for the framework.
  *
  */
-import { Racer, util, type Model} from 'racer';
+import { Racer, util } from 'racer';
 
 import { App, type AppBase, type AppOptions } from './App';
 import { Component } from './components';
@@ -13,14 +13,12 @@ export abstract class DerbyBase extends Racer {
   Component = Component;
   // App: typeof AppBase;
   // Page: typeof PageBase;
-  Model: typeof Model;
   abstract createApp(name?: string, filename?: string, options?: AppOptions): AppBase
 }
 
 export class Derby extends DerbyBase {
   App = App;
   Page = PageForClient;
-  Model: typeof Model;
 
   createApp(name?: string, filename?: string, options?: AppOptions) {
     return new this.App(this, name, filename, options);
diff --git a/src/Page.ts b/src/Page.ts
index 2ed363ca..c0cc33e2 100644
--- a/src/Page.ts
+++ b/src/Page.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import {
   type Model,
+  type RootModel,
   util,
   ChangeEvent,
   MoveEvent,
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ declare module 'racer' {
 }
 
 export abstract class Page extends Controller {
+  model: RootModel;
   params: Readonly<PageParams>;
   context: Context;
   create: (model: Model, dom: any) => void;