New Ride

I got to bring my new bike home last night and went for my first ride this morning. Oh my...

It was probably about the easiest 60 miles I've ever done. Of course it was in the mid 60's, no wind, good roads, the birds were singing, harps were playing... It was an ideal day to be on the bike. I have never ridden a bike so nice. I felt like I was just spinning for most of the ride. The Ultegra 10 speed rear cluster meant that I was always in the right gear and didn't have to grind too hard a gear or spin to small a gear for the entire ride. The bike is light and I was dancing on the hills all day. It was fun.


The frame is part steel (for stiffness) and part carbon fiber (for weight, flexibility and shock dampening), the wheels are incredibly light with bladed spokes, the Ultegra grouppo exceeded my expectations and the new Crank Brothers Quattro SL Team Fast Freddie pedals were a fun change from the Look style pedals that I've ridden on for years. The pedals take a little getting used to with their egg beater style, but the cleats have a lot of rotational flexibility, so I was able to ride comfortably without having to worry about whether everything was set up right.

It was my longest and fastest ride of the year. Mad props to Dave Brady for helping me build the bike after work yesterday and to the shipping and receiving crew for forgiving my impatience and getting me the bike I never thought I'd own.