New Bikes

A brand new bike and another not so new. Last night Cale and I got done putting together a track bike for me. I got his old frame, seatpost, etc etc and put on my wheels, seat and bars. It's not flashy or anything, but I'm pretty fond of it and it's one of the only things getting me excited for track racing this year.



I've been viewing track as just a way to train for the mtb and cx seasons; more like vitamins you've got to take to grow strong instead of a fun activity. When the bike was in the stand and I spun the wheel and watched the cranks go 'round, I remembered how fun it was to fly along on the track (well, in my case it's not really flying... shall we say puttering along, instead?). Getting on the bike to check seat height and wrapping my hands in the drops reiterated it- I'm just a little excited to get out there next week.

Next up we have a truly sexy beast. I'll be riding this to victory (a girl can dream) tomorrow at New Fane. I've done quite a bit of riding on it so far, but no races. Previously I've raced my rigid single speed 29er and a borrowed full suspension from Preston. I'm really looking forward to racing this one bike, getting used to it and getting confident with it.



34x11-27 (nondescript)
Rock Shox Reba 29er fork w/ lockout
Truvativ Dose stem (I designed the graphics!)
SRAM X-0 rear derailleur
Fizik Vitesse saddle
Truvativ carbon bars and seat post
Truvativ Noir cranks
sweet ass Sun Ringle wheels (hand built by Russell- thanks again)
'affordable' (read: cheap) Zion steel frame
Juicy Ultimates
Planet Bike carbon bottle cages (I won, not purchased these)
an Ignitor and a CrossMark for tires (changed since the picture, and now tubeless)
Believe it or not, all of this weighs in at a smidge under 23 lbs.

So where was I... ah yes, getting familiar with this bike. I've enjoyed riding other bikes, but I'm not getting any younger and am looking forward to settling down and starting a career with the right bike, if ya know what I mean. Kidding aside, it's nice to have a custom build with everything I wanted: 1x9 29er with front suspension and all quality parts built to last. Thank goodness for my internship with SRAM, making such fine things more attainable for me. So far I haven't run into anything I can't climb (at least, it wasn't the bike's fault) with the gearing. The lockout on the fork has been really nice for climbs, and the gears are a nice change from SS in that aspect as well.

My hopes and dreams for this bike are to get really confident aboard it, and to ride it to a fine sheen: not broken down but well worn and well cared for. May it be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.