I got my new bike! I ordered it on January 22nd, and was told it would take 7 buisiness days, which would have been around the end of this week, hopefully in time for the weekend's training ride.
To my surprise, I got a call on Friday that my bike was in, assembled, and ready to ride a week early!
When I called Mike's Bikes to order it last week, I dialed their 800 number which routed me to their store in San Rafael. Many shops don't carry SURLY bikes in their stores, but can special order them. I asked if they would apply the 10% ALC bicycle discount to a special order. I was told that was unusual, but he'd make an exception since I was buying it for the AIDS ride! Again, the support pours in from all directions. I asked if he could have it delivered to the San Francisco store, but realized that could created complications with regards to the unusual discount, etc. So, since I was talking to the service manager at that store, I just decided to zip my lip and said, "Great I'll see you up there when it comes in." It was the perfect arrangement. Not only did I get a great discount, but my trial ride was laid out for me.
I took the bus to San Rafael on Saturday afternoon, and went to Mike's Bikes. I found the sales manager, who rolled the bike out with a hearty, "This is a Long Haul Trucker!" It was beautiful to behold, but the looks are nothing compared to the ride.
I went west to Fairfax for a piece of pizza, before retracing the route of my first group training ride back to SF. Saturday was an unusual break in the rain we've been having lately, and provided an ideal window to be outside without rain gear. The reinforced steel frame is built for strength and durability, and has all the necessary pieces for attaching racks, fenders, and pannier bags for bicycle touring. That makes it a little bit heavier than a standard road bike. But the feel of the steel frame/fork was dreamy. I am used to bracing myself over potholes and debris. The steel frame felt amazingly cushy and comfortable. I rode all the way back to SF and hardly felt tired upon return. My back was a little sore, but the saddle and bars still need to be properly fit for my body.
Considering I had just rolled out of the store and put 30 miles into the frame, I can't wait to get it adjusted and just haul. I've bought maps of the North and South bay regions, and am ready to put on some miles! I didn't want to bring my camera on the ride Saturday, as rain was likely, but I'll put the Long Haul Trucker through a photo shoot soon. Pictures forthcoming!
**update 2/6/08**
The 'Trucker leads the pack on Caltrain:
Close up of the non-molten Steel Glory:
- Check out that gear cluster! Enough combinations to ride up (or down) a mountain with ease!
- Room for another (yes one more) water bottle under the downtube.
- Bar-end shifters!
- A lugged steel fork!
- Frame pump on the top tube. (So Euro!)
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