tilting at windmills

I have a SystemSix in my house. It is currently sequestered in its own room, so that the cats cannot climb on it and scratch the paint (since I have not even finished paying for it yet, it seems a shame to start the destruction already). I'm going to take her out for a real ride tomorrow, but did get a chance to spin around the neighborhood tonight.

I...don't know. I can't tell if there's an improvement. I wish I had been able to dig up my GPS and extra mount...I could have had some stats to compare. I still felt powerful, the shifting was crazy quiet and smooth, I was able to keep up with a car for a block or two from a stop sign. The ride feel of this bike is sooo much more aggressive than my Orca setup, though, it's hard to know what's making the bigger difference. My reach is at least a full cm longer, with the long stem and bigger/wider handlebar. My stem is level, vs. the 17-degree upward angle of my other one. And the saddle is 2-3 cm above the handlebar, vs the Orca where I have them dead level.

The longer stem makes it easier to ride in a straight line and control corners when I'm in the saddle, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of the bike when standing. Where I had no trouble controlling the Orca in a standing sprint, I end up wiggling the front wheel all over the place on the SS. It might be that the wide oval top tube doesn't leave the bike as much room to shift back and forth under me, so I'm not able to maintain my balance as effectively. It could also be that the bike frame is shorter and I can't get used to the change in my weight distribution. Whatever the reason, I don't have the control I'd like while standing, so I'm going to try to do that as little as possible tomorrow.

I'm glad I took her out tonight...I was a little afraid my in-saddle steering would be shaky, but it seems that I have adapted to that, at least. I was also able to confirm that I do hate the saddle just as much on a slightly longer ride as I did on a parking-lot test run. I suspected as much. I wonder what they'll let me trade it out for? Pity they don't carry Specialized...I'd go for another Jett.

I've been giving bike names some consideration, also. It has proven more problematic with this one than the last two. My first bike was a Pilot, so I named it Amelia after Ms. Earhardt. My second bike is an Orca, so I named it Keiko after the whale from Free Willy. This bike is...a SystemSix. Doesn't exactly lend itself to easy naming options. However, since I name pretty much every inanimate object I use regularly, my new steed must have a name. Right now, I'm leaning toward Nikita. Or maybe, given my racing performance this year, Rocinante. :)

System Six? Johnny Five.

Of course, SystemSix is owned by cannondale. Could come up with some obscure reference there.

Other then that, I got nothing for names. Rochelle Cannon's a bodybuilder, but I vouch not for the appropriateness of the name.