a day late to the pub.... but I gotta tell ya... I'm back in the saddle. It has been too long since I've regularly ridden my bike to work. I am in full blown endorphin afterglow right now. My mind is so clear and I feel so focused. I hate that I let life get in the way of a good bicycle commute. My new commute is about 40% longer than the previous one, so I'm still working up to it, but I'm fortunate to have a coworker who lives nearby. For months we have been carpooling, but now that I'm back in the saddle, I'm riding in Monday, hitching a ride home Monday night and Tuesday Morning, and then riding the chariot home Tuesday night. Lather, rinse, repeat on Wed-Thur. It couldn't work out better. I have the parking pass for the parking garage, so it's a bonus for him, and I get a free ride home until my conditioning is up to snuff. VICTORY. It's not as cushy as my old commute either - a lot more time on surface streets than before which leaves me feeling a bit more vulnerable, but I'm not riding through the war zone like kleinbl00. Anyway - happy trails to you all. Keep on rockin' in the free world.
Novara Buzz. It’s REI’s commuter. Nothing fancy. I bought from a dude on Craigslist. It might be stolen. But Karma is weird like that. Member when my bike got stolen a few years ago? It’s just a two year newer version of the same bike. Different color. And cheap enough to make me think it’s hot.
It's got discs though, and "novarra" is REI-speak. "Poo brown" is a thing. I fell in love with a Specialized Diverge last year but it was only available in Used Wrigley's Spearmint Gum Green and Dropped Creamsicle On The Sidewalk Orange. This year they've reverted to gray on the spendy ones and gray is an option on the cheap ones.
Caliper brakes are fine in the desert. I do just dandy with 'em. Up here? That whole "go through grass no longer stop" aspect is straight bullshit. I'm about 6 months away from plowing through 10k miles on my beastie. I may or may not reward myself with a new rig after.