cool temps upon us

this a.m. was the first coolish day of the season, 57 and windy. it therefore became the first tights day and the first jacket day, all rolled into one. it was actually a pretty brisk ride in into the westerly (actually flowing east, easterly?) wind.

the afternoon brough nice amts of sunshine, but still some coolish temps and wind. 'lance', 'sheryl' and i headed out for the quick 3m link to 'sheryl's'. now, a couple notes. first, it was brought to my attention that 'cheryl', as in 'sheryl crow' is actually 'sheryl', so change noted for future posts. and no, i'm not going to change the previous ones. and 'lance' had his first commute on his new Bachetta 'bent. it's 25lbs, about 10 or more lbs lighter than the Rans, and with a different hands and feets set-up, so he was pretty tentative the whole time. it looks fast though, and i'll need to get some fitness going to make sure and keep up with him in the future. so a good p.m. full of surprises. i went with 'lance' to Crescent Hill, and along Stilz and through the park home, taking in the hill up to 'chaufers' rest. actually i dropped in behind some roadies in between Seneca and Cherokee. just trying to keep them honest, a fat fred commuter running behind them.

well tomorrow is an OFF DAY!!!!. might get the out-to-oldham mileage. we'll see. but three good days this week above 20 (and one bail out Monday)

20.5m/7.3 a.m./14.2 p.m/13.0 (slow as usual)/60 degrees p.m. and sunny

Indian summer

slow a.m. ride with nothing of note. actually, i had one weirdly good moment on that street perpedicular to Midcitymall off Baxter. the image of a treed, leafy tunnel with a little street sparkle here-n-there. don't know, but i liked it for some reason. well, the afternoon proved sunny, a little to warm for me at 86 almost in October, but nice and breezy. i was resolute to get a few more miles in, and did so. i started off with 'cheryl'. 'lance' btw is letting us down. once he ordered his new Bachetti/25lb 'bent, i think he's too physcologically frayed to rode the "old" Rans 'bent. anway, meandered over to the "Canal" trail or whatever the hell it's called and into the park. i chickened doing the hills, so i went the wrong way on the loop and over to Altavista and into Seneca. after a loop around Seneca, i passed by to harass some of the Manual Xcountry team. i then looped over to the Cherokee trail, up to Spring, and home through Seneca Gardens. some good slow steady miles. i'm kinda worried abt my back, as it's quite tweaked in the middle spinal area. it's never painful, but never comfortable either. vamos a ver desafortunadamente.

25.4m/7 m a.m./18.4 p.m./13 avg (slow, eh?)/60 in the morning, cold enough for long sleeves/86 and too warm in the afternoon

better than Monday

i started the a.m. with a good ride to school, as short as possible at 6 miles, but with a 14.6 average. i'm pleased with that avg with lights and stop signs and such. i did meander every so slightly differently through Germantown. nothing special, but a slight break in the monotony and some good tempo. it seems that happens more in the a.m. than in the p.m.

the p.m. went well too. 'cheryl' and i headed out, dropping her off after the usual 3. i then meandered through Crescent Hill, passing along some streets of Frankfort that i've never visited. taking Frankfort, i turned onto that GREAT street next to the Water comp. i don't know the name, but one of the nicest streets in Luavull. i backtracked to Garden and into Seneca. in fact, i had a nice pickup on the Seneca loop falling in behind a couple of roadies. i know they try to push it a little so they're not seen with some commuting Fred, but it's fun to get the wheels going in the 20mph range. i took the park around into Cherokee. i cheated going the wrong way on the Loop and up to Spring, the Douglass Loop, and home (that's 3 loops today). after i got onto spring i sort of ran out of gas. a good total for the day with some great weather.

20.5 miles/6 a.m. at 14.6 avg/14.5m p.m./avg ??/77 and sunny

i have a couple more nuggets to ingest. first was concerning a funny convo i had with 'cheryl' today. she wanted it know that, while i thought it funny to have 'lance' and 'cheryl' in the blog, she is NOT attached to 'lance' in any way. i'm still wondering if it's latent, but she seemed quite emphatic. we'll keep the 'lance/cheryl' connection on the to watch list, just for fun.

also, i got some goodies in the mail yesterday, a new Brooks B-17 Narrow for the Litespeed. i may have mentioned that i moved the B-17 to the LHT after i bought it. i like the b-17 alot, so i decided to go with the narrow as i'm used to roadie seats. it will go on the Blueridge soon, and i'll be looking forward to breaking that one in with some good road time, and not just commute time. on a sad note there, i bought my previous Brooks from WallBike online. i've come to find out that WallBike is in New Orleans. the last time i was on their site, it was down or they were closed. don't remember. but here's hoping they came through Katrina in tact.

i've been reading up on Buddhism lately, finding many appealing aspects. i attend a Christian church, and grew up Southern Baptist, but that experience sullied what religion is for me. it seems that the swell of fundamentalism from all the major religions, Christian, Muslim, Jew and Hindu, don't make for an attractive package, as the people of the "word" seems to be causing the probs instead of solving them. Buddhism is very motivated with the mind, the intellect, compassion, unconditional love, and the notion of interconnectedness, all precepts i either agree with or aspire to incorporate. i don't think i could ever totally follow all aspects; you never realize who much even a religion you disagree with (and grew up with) can influence your fundamental worldview. but i've found enough there for more study. i think in disturbing times i am looking for ways to help, and not ways to hurt. rabid xenophobia, prejudice and dogmatic ire are creating a more dangerous world, and those in power are contributing perhaps most of all. 'faith-based' programs, vouchers, the pledge as doctrine, and most importantly 'intelligent design' for someone in education all make me want to vomit. but screaming at ignorant, uninformed people won't help. reason, logic, and calm can help more.

peace

Monday, oh well

well, i didn't ride over the weekend, so i needed to hit the ground running. there was talk and forecast of a.m. rain, but i checked the radar @ 5.30 and so no real threat. i got ready and the like, but did pack the clothes into a bag in case of surface water from nighttime rains. i went perhaps .3 miles (okay, maybe .4 of a mile) and noticed two things- first that it was raining more than the radar stated. i could get to work, but i would be pretty damp. oh well. the second was that i had left some work papers at home. i could get through the day w/out them, but really needed them as grade reporting was/is coming up and it's always a sprint to tidy everything up. so i returned home, checked the watch, and realized that if i tried to ride to work, then it was going to be a sprint and also put me in a pinch to get ready for the start of the workday, which is on a clock. so i changed and drove. i would say that, in 8 or so years of occassional commuting, it was maybe the 3rd or 4th time i've dressed with cycling clothes only to change. mondays come mierda.

de farra, de copas

the day began with a sedate 7.5 miler this morning. funnily enough, i passed along a street in Seneca Garden, where i noticed the faint aroma of apples. after the other a.m. full of trash, it was a welcome change. furthermore, the a.m. trip became interesting when i ran into 'Lance' down in old louisville. in the 9 years of riding to work, i've only run across 'lance' once, that time right next to school. this time it was 1 or 2 miles out. interesting. i had to slow down a couple miles an hour b/c lance likes to take it easy.

the afternoon went well as well, with a payday stop at the Granville Inn, smoke and grime and all. after a plate of yummy cheese fries and not 1, nor 2, but 3 very yummy Guiness's, i swerved my way home riding with 'cheryl'. good day.

15.3/12.5av (mostly a slow p.m.)/89 p.m., too hot for late september

peace out

typical, short day. a.m. 6miles, with a relatively pedestrian 13.9ave. the afternoon, though, was strange because i finally felt some good legs. i think i had some favorable wind, but i did the Oak/Bardstown spring, maintaining 20mph on Bardstown for stretches. with almost the same exact distance, i averaged 16mph for the p.m, an average that i'm pleased with. fact is the LHT is a GREAT bike, comfortable, responsive and fun to ride. i'm still wrestling with the Profile extension thing, but after the switch to the B-17, i couldn't be more pleased.

in fact, i ordered a B-17 Narrow online for the Blueridge. SWEET!!

"oo, oo that smell!"

well, back on the bike today. tweaked my back or something. i've never really had back trouble, so it concerns me. i rode pretty gingerly the whole day. my a.m. brought me the observation that the only thing that i really don't like about my ride/commute is the phunk-ass smell that you get to "experience" on occassion: garbage, rot, exhaust, ass, phunk, more ass, more 30 year-old cars with no emissions control to speak of. And it seems that once started, you can't escape it until in the building. it lodges in the nostril hairs. me da asco!

well the afternoon was uneventful. Oh, the smell thing, it doesn't usually happen in the afternoon. all the rot festers overnight, but must dissipate with the late morning breezes. yes, nothing much in the p.m. b/c i was babying the back. ended up with some solid if low-key miles

15.5/7.5 a.m./8 p.m./13avg/ same weather for the last month

technoadventure

well, starting off a monday intent of getting some riding in this week, i fell across one of those commuting 'adventures' that happens once in a while (i remember a good one last year). unfortunately, it is due to my lack of preparation, which makes it all the more foolish.

in the a.m. i got in a pleasant 8 miles. i took the flat a.m. route, plus added on the Oak st. connector. and at the start of the a.m. i tested my bike computer on my .6m test distance that i've used for a variety of things. spot on. well, the afternoon proved much more ridiculous. i rode after work to an after school supervising commitment. entering Central Pk i nailed the back wheel and realized immediately that it wasn't good. lo and behold the dreaded pinch flat was coming. i prepared for the worst, which came with 30sec. i took the tire off and prepared to pump up the tube pinch only to find that somehow my pump had a tiny broken piece of plastic, thusly making it incapable of depressing the valve gizmo. well, i DID have 1 CO2 cartridge, so i thought i could get home on low pressure. comes to find out that i didn't have an extra tube, so i got the patch kit out. well, the pinch was in such a way that the two patches somewhat overlapped, thereby making them both peel. simple fact was i was screwed. i ended up having a parent drive me home with the bike in the back of the minivan, that of which my wife was quite glad. nonetheless i was dismayed almost completely by my commuter inpreparedness. i mean, dork roadies or onceaseason bike folks may not be prepared, but my job is to be ready to change a tire at 6.15 in the dark.

after i got home i took L to the bikeshop, bought him a new helmet, and bought myself 2 tubes (1 for the wheel and 1 extra) and a new minipump. pretty damn weak effort.

9 miles/13.5avg/65 a.m./85 p.m.

Just a Bike Ride

well, i intentionally and successfullly started the early Sunday morning off better than i had the previous 2 wastes of time. i awoke a little too early for my own tastes- 6.00- but it gave me time to wake up, read the paper, and generally collect myself.

so off i went a little after 7.00 with no more intention than riding my bike. really there is no way i could recount exactly where i went, but the gist of it is as such- across to Taylorsville and then through the BonAir neighborhood, crossing over the ?Winchester? which is a really nice slice of stately homes off Taylorsville, working over to BrownsLn, to MallSt.M, through the StM beargrass creek park, across more neighborhoods to Seneca, and then home.

i had a couple nice moments in particular. one was a line of geese against an early morning sky, light clouds and dappled early morning sun. the 2nd was entering a nice fog in Seneca. apparently it looks like the north part of the city towards the river is thickly fogged over. very nice and in fact i had to turn on the generator light and flashing tail for visibility purposes. and a 3rd i've decided was a view of all the wildflower growth through St.MatthewsBeargrassPark (mouthful), especially surrounding a wetland pond. nice. certainly it was no racing ride, or even training one for that matter. it was simply a bike ride, and a good one at that.

a technological note is that i'm having trouble with my bike computer since the switch to the LHT. it's an old school Cateye Enduro2. it's working just fine, but i can't seem to get a good wheel size, always over or under. now, i'm not being picky, as i would have a pretty good tolerance for it being slightly off, but it always seems to be something like a .10 or more, which in my mind is substantial. the other is that, in fiddling with it the other day, i erased the odometer. it's not too impressive a number, but it's my commuting number, at least for the last few years or more. i guess i have to break down and do the science geek thing of measuring the rollout, blah blah. oh, another techno note is that i swapped the B17 from the Litespeed onto the LHT. i'm going to buy a B17narrow from Nashbar for a nice price today. i think the narrow will fit my preferences better for the more full-on Litespeed road bike.

17.7 (apprx)/average of who the hell knows and probably pretty damn slow/61 degrees a.m.

Esta semana comio Mierda!

well, today caps off a relatively crappy bike week. i rode three days to work, none with any real distance. i copped out Wednesday, but at least i had some schedule stuff to blame. friday i didn't answer the bell and today was just one of those lost days, one less 18hr period to accomplish something in life. no, that's not entirely true. this a.m. the boys had soccer, with L scoring a goal in his first game!! and Z playing really solidly, even though he took one to the shoulder. that was alot of fun seeing them get into it and show some mettle.

as for me. mierda! i took a mini-nap, but then mostly wasted the day away online after not llevandoing well with the spouse. and now, still, i waste the day away online.

the upcoming week, though, WILL bring a better time. i did spend a little time reading the "Oil is for Sissies" blog. i don't know all his particulars, but he's a 5'7" guy who's lost 60lbs in a year doing nothing but cycling his ass off, doing the commuting thing, doing the non-car thing. sounds pretty damn good to me. actually i'd dropped may 5-7 lbs before this last week doing nothing but riding the damn bike. but this week comio mierda! "i'll live to fight another day", in the words of Phil Ligget.

soon to come i think i'm going to list the various reasons why the U.S. is in a steady state decline. while the Rabid Right has had their concerns why our culture has gone downhill (and in the end, they're probably right in some ways. internet kiddie porn and endless reality TV is NOT an improvement), i think the greater American middle class is Fucked. Jodido! and doesn't really even realize it. my two boys almost can't have the same standard of living in 30 years that we do now. i'm not prepared to let 'er rip now, but to come soon. the handwriting has NEVER been more on the wall.

Damn

well, it's the first day of the year that i didn't ride b/c i was just TOO lazy to do it. i went to bed a little late and just didn't want to answer the alarm. i did get in to work early to get some things done, but i could've and should've. but didn't. bummer.

well, i WILL ride 5 days next week hell or highwater. and the weekend must bring miles. forza forza. allez allez, and finally Venga Venga.

well, back on the LHT today for a steady commute. did 7.5 in the a.m. in the p.m. i was going to get some distance, but stayed to get some work done and then made a stop. once i got headed home i put my head down and rode pretty hard, doing 17-18 on the flats- course there are the slower hills to consider. don't really know my final speed numbers, but my effort was good i think. since i changed tires- to 1.3" Contis which i really like- i haven't gotten my computer dialed in, so really my numbers are questionable. i put in a little over an hour today. they forcasted storms for the p.m., but they never came (as of 5.30), but we'll see abt tomorrow if the rains do come.

15 m total

tuesdays either

after having great legs a couple weeks ago, i feel like shit now. don't know why. anyway, b/c of an after-work thang, i rode the Rans Rocket this a.m. i've only done one ride in forever on the Rans, but decided to do so. i just mounted the front flasher and rear flasher light. the front doesn't illuminate crap, but it's got a nasty flash, so traffic at least sees me before they run me over. i did the 7m flat route. in the p.m., i took my side trip to Central Pk., and then home later via Oak, Baxter, Norris, and up Valley Vista. felt like crap, and didn't enjoy the 'bent all that much. i'll be back on the LHT tomorrow, but will try to do the Rans thing once a week for kicks.

14m/7 a.m./7 p.m./slow as hell all in all

"i don't like Mondays"

well, i didn't ride all weekend after that crappy end to Friday's march to Oldham. now, monday, i'm feeling generally like crap. not running a temp, nor any overt symptoms other than being bone tired for no real reason.

well, i did ride to work today. 7 in the a.m., and then home with lance and cheryl this p.m. and another 7. 14 total, but slow and listless. i'm thinking right now whether i'm riding tomorrow. do you ride through this kind of thing? do you rest? a week ago i was feeling great legs, and now i'm sore after 14 miles at probably 13.5mph. ridiculous.

we'll see. better to have ridden, theoretically, pues no se.

the morning proved uneventful as ever, although there was some early a.m. drama. i awoke at 5.00 with a hell of a storm blowing. at that point, i figured "no ride for me", as i'm not riding in a thunderstorm. well, it cleared, so i got ready a little quicker, skipping the shave and too much of the morning paper, and headed out. the fenders kept of some of the goo and wet, and i was good to go.

the afternoon proved, however, a pretty damn tough time. i decided to ride out to Oldham Co. to meet the family at horse lessons. it's a pretty straight forward ride- river road/rose island/goshen lane (and the hill(s)) and finally up 42 to the farm. i and lance headed out and made some nice time on river rd. with all the afternoon traffic. he turned around at Kroger, and i trugged on, still feeling good and moving at a 16-17. well, 1.10 into the ride, i guess the influence of some of those baby rollers on rose island, i just ran out of gas. who knows? end of the week? small lunch? out of shape? well, i'm feeling better. nonetheless the ride up Goshen was TERRIBLE. it was as slow as this summer when i didn't have near the miles in the legs. once i was on 42 i was doing 12mph or so, just empty. i turned onto, what, 1792, or whatev that is, and ended up at the farm just destroyed. my final avg was like 13.8. i'm sure i lost at least a mile per hour in the last 5. but hey, i DID get in 33m today, so we'll call it a success.

on the way home, i ended up almost in the middle of these two guys on the Watterson trying to kill each other- tailgaiting, swerving, offers of battle, etc. really, really, really bad. the one guy, a green truck with a trailer actually had cut my corner turning from 42 onto the Watterson (i was with the family in the vehicle by then) and i guess needed to be somewhere other cars be damned. i could't help thinking of meeting one of these assholes on the open road. certainly i would be the loser. awful. awful. awful. where is it all going? is anybody having fun anymore?

33miles/6 a.m./27 p.m./13.8 mph in the p.m./88 sunny and a little muggy

"night moves"

i'm sorry for the cheesy, BobSegar title, but it DOES encapsulate the tenor of today's ride. morning brought uneventful flatish ride. have you realized that there is not real adventure at 6.15 in the a.m.? well, the trip home was something new. we had an after work event, Open House, if you like. that ties up around 8.00+, so i had to pre-prepare for the trip home. the Shimano generator hub is great, and the light works well for what it does, basic safety illumination. long story short i put the niterider back on too to give some extra light for the trip home. we, 'Lance', 'Cheryl' and i left work @ 8.15 or so for an darkening ride home, dropping 'cheryl' off first. 'lance' and i took the beargrass creek trail, where 'lance' veered off up grinstead. i headed into the park, and looped around my normal spring/seneca gardens return route. a nice moment was in cherokee coming up golf course hill (#1?) where i had a great tune of crickets and frogs playing for me. you can only appreciate those on the bike. i've done lots of morning dark riding, but evening dark riding is different b/c there are more cars and you have to be wary of the drunks too.

well, good legs, easy and slow, for both. good day with something good. although i don't pretend to enjoy getting home after 9.00 p.m.

17.5m/7 a.m./10.5 p.m./12 avg (yes, slow and pokey, but relaxed and good)

After a slow day yesterday, i began the a.m. with a very straight forward ride, infact the most basic at 6+m. the afternoon became different after a good talk with a colleague at work. he rides some recreationally, doing the massive Tuesday night ride like the rest of Luavull. he had, in a fun way, challenged me that i couldn't "keep up with him" on one of those sorties, not really knowing how i ride. i of course challenged him to get his sorry ass out of bed at 5.15 and ride to work. "uh, duh, nah", typical answer. nonetheless, it inspired me to get in some speedwork this p.m. i started down some city streets- the one parallel to Shelby, and ended up on Mellwood, taking that all the way to Mockingbird. a quick jog on the rec path took me to Indian Hills, where i make a good effort on 2/3 of the hill there, and really ran out of gas at the end. i passed through St. Matthews to the park and around the end, returning back towards home on Spring and then through Seneca Gardens. the end result after pushing hard was a 15.1 avg, which i'm really proud of on the commuter in city traffic. i've found very much that it's harder to get a good average with so many starts and stops, lights and signs. i really pushed it hard the first 45min, averaging close to 16 and then backed off the 2nd half. a good ride and great way to get the legs pumping. tomorrow will be an easy day though.

26miles/6.5 a.m./19.5 p.m.(15.1 avg)/85 and sunny yet again!

Really nothing to report today. well, i DID ride, but both legs were pretty humdrum. a.m. was a 7.5m easy trek. in the afternoon, after a couple mile sidetrip after work, i completed the rest with a trip down Kentucky, over to Baxter and then to Norris. frankly i was pretty tired in the p.m. "i'll live to fight another day".

15m total 1.07 13.5avg LHT

"it's TALENT, it's TALENT"

well, the title refers to something i'll get to eventually about Saturday. first and foremost, i'll discuss a GREAT ride i took on Saturday in Casey Co., which is directly south of Danville, home of Centre College. it was the family's annual trip to family camp at Wakonda'ho in Yosemite (pronounced YO-sah-mite), Ky. i'm not too churchy, but it's a great weekend for food, fun, relaxation, and general contentment. there are a variety of activities, but i talked my good wife into letting me get out and explore some of Casey Co.'s topography via the bike.

i started with a perfect, sunny, not-too-hot day, and had mapped out a route i felt would give me some interest, but would not be too difficult to manage (and save from getting lost). i started in YO-sah-mite going north on 1552, which then goes straight on 198 out of Middleburg. After some miles, i turned NE onto 698. this whole first leg of the journey took place in a great, verdant valley in between the knobs of the area and roughly following the Green River. really a great, great stretch of road with very little traffic and some nice hills thrown in for stretching the legs. in fact, i stopped on 698 and took a few photos of an attractive creek. i then turned E/SE on 1778, by now in Lincoln Co., and followed the South Fork for a while. these are generally flattish roads at this point, with 1778 a little more tree-lined and with fewer fields. i stopped again to take a couple pics of a nice barn in a field full of ironweed. i might load those in at some time. i also snapped a shot of an old, rusted train trestle bridge high over the road. i crossed a creek (actually the South Fork) and began to experience 'acclivity', which is to say a false flat, which then pitched a little more. i then saw the sign, the "extremely wiggly road ahead" sign which i then realized would take me up some attractive swithbacks. i wouldn't consider myself in very good climbing shape, but i bucked down, grounding out 2nd gear, which some standing in 3rd. i DID have to rest once, not walking but catching my breath. mind you, i'm in the small ring of the triple, but if that's reality, well, that's reality. I chugged the rest of the way up and made my way to 501, where i turned SW. after a while on 501, i realized that i had earned a long, gradual descent with my abrupt climb of about a mile total (maybe .5 m steep). 501 became a 30min big gear smashfest with some occassional hills. i would say i often was pedaling at 20-25mph, which is fast for me. as the trip ended, i was rewarded with another gift, a sudden but exhilirating steep downhill where i reached 40mph+ until the bend in the road caused me to slow a bit. that section ended up being a quick .6m. i finished turning N on 70 for a couple tenths of a mile.

what a great 1.5 hours to spend, a great ride in great weather. i'm pleased to have had to climb a bit, as my commuting is table-top flat. the rest of family camp proved enjoyable and relaxing, with the culmination Saturday of the talent show, and the 3 year old (4?, 5?) singing a self-composed song whose whole lyrics were comprised of "It's talent, it's talent, it's talent.........talent is what you do". very funny.

i hope at next year's camp to further explore some great Casey Co. roads.

25.8m 1.35 16.1avg a good average for me, aided by the nice, long 501 downhill

Relaxed Ride?

well, the big news of the day is that i tricked the LHT (the Surly Long Haul Trucker) out last night for commuting purposes and took it for a commuting spin this a.m. the ride TO school proved excellent- great comfortable handling, an upright position good for commuting (not for roadying), firm brakes, an adequate generator light. i will eventually extend the stem for a more forward position.

So, Friday afternoon roles around and becomes interesting. 'Lance', 'Cheryl', and i are about to head out when we realize that 'Floyd' had ridden to workl. we get in touch with him and invite him along. we all proceed accordingly. well, it was great to have 4 folks using their bike legs to do the commuting thing, but the interesting thing was that 'Floyd', somehow, rides abt 8 miles/hour. yes, 8, and sometimes 10. well, the long story short is that it was a really nice afternoon and i'm glad we all did it. por otro lado, it was the SLOWEST bike ride i'd ever taken. i mean SLOW. but that's fine. it's the feeling that counts, right?

13.5m 85 + sunny and breezy

well, the llegs were a little sore after yesterday, so i took it relatively, no, rather easy in the manyana today. took the shortest route possible, with a side trip through UL campus for kicks. fact is i came up Texas, which was my original route 8 years ago, but now i've gravitated down Barrett and away from 65 traffic.

in the p.m. again i wasn't too ambitious, but eventually warmed up to take on a few hills in Cherokee. I really goosed it up the Cherokee Triangle hill, and then kept a steady pace behind another ride up Hogan's before finishing with the Chaufer's Step, or whatev that's called.

the big bike related news today is that the SURLY LONG HAUL TRUCKER arrived in the big UPS box. i won the bid for it last weekend, hoping that it all turned out, as it was the first thing i ever bough on ebay. so it comes in not too many pieces...frame with components and rear wheel, seat+post, front wheel, handlebar with brakes. all i had to do was assemble those pieces plus run the brake cables. didn't take much time, and i thank the seller (bike shop) for such a nice job.

i had some reservations, as the frame size was just pushing it a little. as it is, it's at the upper limit of my standover, but hte reach is great and i feel really comfortable with the setup. after basic assembly i added a rear rack, front fender (the rear was already attached), bottle cage, pannier, rear flasher, and the generator light. i'm not sure what to think of that, but we're going to give it a fun try. it's a Shimano Dyno hub generator. when you go, it lights up. when you stop, it stops. it does have an on-off switch for saving bulb life. really it seems like a safety feature more than a real light, so i might mount my Niterider too, depending. in the city though, i rarely need a real light, only one for traffic. it's all set up for tomorrow's commute. the one place where i'll be doing some refiguring is in the cockpit, eventually buying a new stem, and/or wider bars. but it's good for now.

it's great!! with the $$ outlay, it will be time for serious fall and winter commuting for me. no excuses, so i can recoup my investment.