So, today I was stuck with Ruby. I hadn't ridden this bike in over a year. I spent an evening filling her deflated tires, cleaning and greasing her up and equipping her with lights, cameras and such.
I rode Ruby down the the PedalPGH finish line to check things out. Before I reached the South Side, I wasn't pleased with the way Ruby rode, the geometry, the steering... I much preferred Fizz. I felt like I was using more energy to get up to a speed that wasn't much of an effort on Fizz. This didn't seem logical considering Ruby weighs less than Fizz. However, I appreciated that the gear shifting wasn't a battle.
Fizz was my smooth, creamy tank.... Ruby was rickety and awkward in comparison. Fizz had ruined me for all other bikes.
My ring and pinky fingers were numb after 6 miles. Yeesh. Already, I couldn't wait to get Fizz back from her overhaul. She needed new brake pads, the front wheel hub needed taken apart and cleaned as well as a new rear cassette and chain. I was seriously regretting putting off until later Marko's offer to show me how to do all that stuff myself.
While I was there, I indulged in my very first Franktuary hot dog. It had mustard, sauerkraut and fried onions. So very good.
I also stopped at the ORTC tent and bought a membership and this awesome t-shirt
After I got back on Ruby, I seemed to have acclimated to the bike a bit better. My fingers were still numb though. I was concerned I wouldn't be inclined to do as much commuting with this bike and would take the car more often.
Looking at the weather this week, I wasn't interested in riding a less-efficient bike up my hill in "Hot and Humid" every day. Yuck.
In the Penn Ave bike lane, I happened on CountriBike! http://www.countribike.com/
I also noticed a few new bike infra signs in the Strip.
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