update on the bike

Well, it's official. I am going to be adding a SystemSix to my stable. I test rode tonight, and was duly impressed. I mean, I like my Orca, but this bike is fast. It shifts beautifully, accelerates like a rocket. The fit has me stretched out nice and low without discomfort, and the Dura Ace hoods feel nicer under my hands than my Ultegra short-reaches. Even with a standard bar and levers, I didn't have any trouble reaching the levers from the drops...I think because the smaller frame size* allowed us to set the hoods lower on the bar. I was a little worried about the ride quality, going from an all-carbon frame...but it was surprisingly smooth. And on a completely cosmetic and girly-girl note, I like how this frame complements the Quattro Ti pedals I've had sitting in a box for 6 months. (And which I can now put on a bike, because I am officially under the 185 lb. weight limit. Woo!)

My only issue was that the handling felt twitchy, particularly when standing. Since I made this same comment about the Orca when I was transitioning from the Pilot, I think it's just due to the racier nature of the SystemSix, and I'll adjust to the difference as I ride it more.

Now, all that's left is to pay for it. :P Even with the smokin' deal, I won't have it fully paid off till sometime in October. They're letting me take it out it this Sunday to get a good, long, validate-my-purchase group ride in, and I'm secretly hoping they'll let me take it home for good sometime before it's completely free and clear. I'm totally fine with waiting if they don't, but I figure they might let her leave the shop once I've made a few regular payments. We'll see.

*48cm. So weird! (Warning: Bike geek speak ahead...)

For two years, I've been telling myself that I needed at least a 53cm top tube for my legs, and I would just have to live with super-short stems in order to make the reach work out for my t-rex arms. However, the Cannondale's 51.5cm effective top tube is totally fine. Part of the reason I was initially hesitant about this bike was that, looking at the geometry numbers, I thought the 48 would fit like the 51cm Dolce I tested back in 2005. But even though the top tube is actually shorter (the Dolce was 51.8cm), the slacker seat tube angle and a slight seatpost offset bring my knees back enough to make everything work. So, while I haven't necessarily been riding a bike that was too big for me all this time, I could have gotten a better fit without the handling issues that come with a short stem. Of course, now that I've adjusted to the feel of a short stem, a normal size feels slightly off. Or it could just be the nature of the frame...who knows? Either way, I'll adjust after a while and hopefully be a better bike handler for it.