with the joy of finding the right new bicycle also came the bittersweet feeling that i was going to have to say goodbye to the old one. in the 3 years that i owned this steel beauty, i went through 3 chains, two rear cassettes, 4 sets of tires, and logged close to 5000 miles.
although the bicycle still fit me just fine, i had just about outgrown its entry level components. it was good to find a new home for it this week - hard to let it go, but happy to know that it will provide someone else many more miles of fun.
for those wanting pictures of my new ride, be patient. it is on it's way to california as we speak. thanks once again for those who supported ben's bicycle quest!
for those bike nerds out there, here are the original specs.
13 comments:
That 2004 Fuji looks pretty good. What is your new bike going to be? Graphite? Do you ride with the racers at the Rose Bowl on Tues and Thurs evenings?
I have a 1980s Pinarello Treviso. Downtube shifters, pantographed components. I hear these types of bikes are being ridden by some guys who ride "classics."
I saw Greg Lemond race in 1980 at the Nevada City Classic when he was 19 and unknown outside the inner bike world.
Are you nplanning for a bike tour the world ?
Hey Ben. As a bike geek, this photo really caught my eye on the portal. 5000 miles is a lot of saddle time! Hope your new ride is everything you want it to be and that you find a good home for the Fuji. Steel is real so I'm sure she has plenty of miles left in her. Both of my bikes are from the 70s and are still going strong. If you ever drop by Gabriola Daily Photo, you'll see a link to Lugged Steel which is my bicycle blog. Your might enjoy clicking around there.
Happy riding!
My new bike is going to be steel as well. It's a 2008 Salsa Casseroll. Shimano 105 level components, room for bigger tires if I ever want to do a little touring, etc. So I'm not really a high speed, laps around the RB on Thursdays kind of guy.
Mr. E, have you ever been out with these guys? - http://www.velo-retro.com/roseBowlVintRide.html
kbguy, I'd love to do a global tour! My wife is getting into riding as well, so maybe some day when we're retired or something. We've done some long rides in different places, but it usually means loading our bikes in the car and going somewhere.
Snapper, I'm going to go check out your blog...
Ahhh, farewell Ben's old bike...
Does this mean you are wheel-less at the moment? Yikes!
Can't wait to see your new ride. Oh, and Jon thanks you for including the specs. :-) He has a road bike, a mountain bike and a single speed and I have my gorgeous Electra cruiser but he's always looking for any excuse to acquire another bike! BTW, do you have a favorite bike shop in the San Gabriel Valley? We always shopped at HElens in Santa MOnica but there are a lot of local ones and I wondered if you liked one in particular.
Wheel-less and it's not fun! I'm realizing how frustrating it is to have to walk everywhere.
I have a whole new appreciation for you Laurie if you are riding an Electra cruiser. Very cool.
As far as Pasadena bike shops go, here is my take: go to Performance for the big chain store discounts but never for bicycle repair; go to Incycle if you want a huge selection of stuff you can't find elsewhere and are not too concerned with price; go to Pasadena Cyclery to get the small town bike shop feel; head to Velo Pasadena if price is not a concern and you want high end road stuff; and if you are brave enough, head to Open Road for bike repair because that man is a crazy genius. His repair pricing is good but his store is in disarray.
I should really do some kind of a weeklong theme where I talk about each shop in town.
Ben, I would love to see a weeklong feature on bike shops. Your descriptions to Laurie just now made me want to visit each of those places (except for maybe Performance). Where I live the nearest roadie-friendly shop is 100km plus a ferry ride away. You are very fortunate to have so many options.
Cheers,
Victor a/k/a Snapper
Ben: Thanks for the link to Velo-Retro. I had heard about them, but now I know how to find them!
Salsa Cassaroll? Is this a food blog? What a name for a bicycle!
Your new bike is still on its way to California? It's nice to know they're breaking it in for you from wherever.
Congrats on the fundraising.
Be careful if PA innocently asks you for your old bike. I dare ask what "artistic" adventure she'd perform with it....
Ya, hopefully UPS plays nice with my new ride. There is a long story behind why I had to order it in, but basically the area shops were either out of stock in my size for that model, or didn't carry it. The 2008 version goes up in price by $200, so I chose to order one of this year's models from out of state.
The old bike was already sold, so it is free from the clutches of PA.
Ben gets a bike, Ben gets a bike, good bye little blue bird. Congratulations...
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