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East Bound and Down
June 02, 2008
I have a new love in my life. She has olive green skin and prefers a simpler, less flashy look. She likes to climb a lot more than the red head that I used to run around town with. She's a little heavier, but a lot more down to earth. I plan to treat her right and adorn her with lots of nice things.
I'm being a dork, of course, and talking about the new bike (!!!) that I purchased last week. My previous ride treated me well, but the relationship just wasn't meant to be long term. The funny thing is, the Long Haul Trucker is the bike that was originally recommended to me when I began shopping around last year. The price was a little more than I was ready to spend at the time, and not many shops keep these bikes in stock. I logged somewhere around 600 miles on the Allez in the past year, so I was in a better position to determine what I would be happy with long-term.
A couple of weeks ago on a lunch outing, I strolled past Free Range Cycles in Fremont. Parked out front were about 5 Surlys, all in the olive green paint that I wanted. Jackpot! The people that worked there are great, very patient, and finally gave me the bike shop experience I'd been looking for. I had stopped by Counterbalance the week before, and after talking to someone at the shop about the two Surly models I was interested in, the guy just sort of pointed to where they were parked on the shop floor. Didn't offer to let me take one out for a spin or anything. Bad choice, my friend. Freerange put me on three different bikes in a little over an hour despite being busy and ready to close at the end of that hour. I highly recommend this place.
Anyway, so far, I love the damn thing. She rides solid and smooth; the steel really does absorb more of the road chatter. The fatter tires certainly don't hurt, either. The gear ratio is perfect for what I need. I'm climbing bigger hills, and other hills faster than before. I've also picked up some speed on the flats by a MPH or two. The seat is the first thing I intend to replace, and I've got my eye on a couple wood fender makers in Oregon since we're still getting rain up here. Damn, those are going to really tie the ride together nicely. I want to get a rack, too—so I can haul shit around—but I haven't found one that I'm crazy about yet. Maybe a 12 Pack Rack? All in due time.
Oh, I also sold my previous bike already. Like in four days!!
Posted by Aaron on June 2, 2008 10:30 PM| Permalink