On Canberra... 3... On a Giant!
Written Thursday 29 April 2010...
On Canberra... 3... On a Giant!
So today’s ride was slightly different than the first 3 days. After a rest day yesterday, we decided to finish with a 20-25km ride today along mainly flat paths, considering the status of the Giant having still no small chain ring.
The big difference with today was that my friend (let’s call him Dilbert) had handed over the Giant to my care. *Big Grin*
From the moment I mounted her, she was as smooth as silk. The gear transitions were awesome. The ride was smooth on the 120lb rubber. The bike was as light as a feather... and she flew. We reached heights I didn’t know was possible! We rolled and we played. We melded into one. We laughed and we very much enjoyed one another.
I did suggest at some stage that it would only cost me $15 for a box to bring her back to Adelaide with me, and the weight definitely would not have been an issue. As my friend Jim put it, "the bike is light enough to lift with your tongue."
So, at the end of the ride, I was fresh while Dilbert was left remembering why he had bought the Giant for the Great Vic Ride last year and had not taken the Diamond Back... weight.
The ride was not without incident. The DB showed signs of a slow leak i.e. the tyre was flat on the bottom. Culprit: 3-corner jack (aka Cats Eye). So much for those new Kevlar-lined jobbies! (mental note: go for Gator Skins over Kevlar tires) We stopped to change the tube, and Dilbert cut his finger turning the DB on its head... so I had to change the tube, but found, having pumped the replacement up to pressure, that the valve was dodgy. Another tube change, back to the original which had, by now, been patched.
I write this from the seat of the Virgin, winging my way back to Adelaide having tasted the pleasures of Canberra (or at least those allowed a happily married man... food, wine, friendship, hospitality, and miles of off-road bike paths) without once feeling threatened in terms of my inferior power relationship with a motorised vehicle. Not once did I feel at risk or that I was in danger of collision. Nice.
So... where is the cycling mecca for commuters, for families, for weekend mid-length rides in safety? hmmmmm... left me wondering.
Cheers
Wombat
Pics will follow in the next few days once I can retrieve them!
On Canberra... 3... On a Giant!
So today’s ride was slightly different than the first 3 days. After a rest day yesterday, we decided to finish with a 20-25km ride today along mainly flat paths, considering the status of the Giant having still no small chain ring.
The big difference with today was that my friend (let’s call him Dilbert) had handed over the Giant to my care. *Big Grin*
From the moment I mounted her, she was as smooth as silk. The gear transitions were awesome. The ride was smooth on the 120lb rubber. The bike was as light as a feather... and she flew. We reached heights I didn’t know was possible! We rolled and we played. We melded into one. We laughed and we very much enjoyed one another.
I did suggest at some stage that it would only cost me $15 for a box to bring her back to Adelaide with me, and the weight definitely would not have been an issue. As my friend Jim put it, "the bike is light enough to lift with your tongue."
So, at the end of the ride, I was fresh while Dilbert was left remembering why he had bought the Giant for the Great Vic Ride last year and had not taken the Diamond Back... weight.
The ride was not without incident. The DB showed signs of a slow leak i.e. the tyre was flat on the bottom. Culprit: 3-corner jack (aka Cats Eye). So much for those new Kevlar-lined jobbies! (mental note: go for Gator Skins over Kevlar tires) We stopped to change the tube, and Dilbert cut his finger turning the DB on its head... so I had to change the tube, but found, having pumped the replacement up to pressure, that the valve was dodgy. Another tube change, back to the original which had, by now, been patched.
I write this from the seat of the Virgin, winging my way back to Adelaide having tasted the pleasures of Canberra (or at least those allowed a happily married man... food, wine, friendship, hospitality, and miles of off-road bike paths) without once feeling threatened in terms of my inferior power relationship with a motorised vehicle. Not once did I feel at risk or that I was in danger of collision. Nice.
So... where is the cycling mecca for commuters, for families, for weekend mid-length rides in safety? hmmmmm... left me wondering.
Cheers
Wombat
Pics will follow in the next few days once I can retrieve them!
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