I rode the new bike for my commute today. It was mostly fine, and traffic was lighter than usual. I was in the locker room in under an hour, but I forgot to check the exact time. I'm not used to the odometer on this bike either, so trying to find the total ride time would have taken more bother than I had time for. I'm probably going to take it in and have them put a Cateye on it instead, so I only have to remember one interface. It's also nice to have the cadence meter.
As for the bike itself, the first thing I noticed is that it doesn't feel nearly as quick or responsive as the Pilot. This surprised me a little, because it's not really that much heavier (23-24 lbs v. just over 20), and the fit actually suits my short arms better than Amelia does. Maybe part of it is getting used to the bike, but I felt...I don't know. Sluggish, I guess. I had trouble finding a comfortable spinning gear, and it took longer to accelerate. Out-of-the-saddle riding felt less controlled. I read in a review somewhere one time that the features on middle-range road bikes ($1200-1500) don't so much enhance performance, but let the bike get out of your way. I'm paraphrasing, obviously, but after commuting with this bike v. the Pilot I can kind of see what they mean. Some of it in this case was going to wider, lower pressure tires, but still. It was like going from a sporty little coupe to a minivan. However, since I bought this bike for the same reason I would buy a minivan, I'm not complaining too much. :)
Other things that will take some getting used to: wrestling my water bottle from the bottle cage (the frame is too small to allow much clearance), the saddle (I really don't want to buy another one), and the tip-and-twist maneuver required to get it on/off the trunk rack.
On the good side, I love the shifters. They're sort of ugly and bulky, but I like the push-button feel and the display telling me which gear I'm in. The bar ends are good for varying hand position a bit, and I never have trouble reaching the brakes. I haven't had occasion to use the light yet, but it seems bright enough to see by. I did use the blinking taillight this morning, because it was cloudy and sort of dim. The 28c/85psi tires are better at taking road bumps than the 23/110 I'm accustomed to. Every time I hit a patch of broken pavement on the Pilot, I had to brace myself and worry that it would break something. The Fairfax takes 'em in stride, and is less delicate all-around.
So, in summary, while I wouldn't want her as my only bike, it looks like she's well suited to short distances. It will also be nice to have for paved path rides with Noah, and I'll probably take her to Austin for the urban assault race, also.
Posted by Joy at May 9, 2006 09:30 AM