Over at Chris' blog, he has extensively pined for the Xtracycle coversion of his 1994 model Cannondale. When I say extensively, I mean borderline stalker-type posts. Guess what he hasn't done in the past 48 hours? Talked about the CannonballX. Why, dear reader, you might ask? Oh, because he has hijacked my new bike. The Ute is being loving referred to as the new family car. I was pretty sure it was mine, but Chris has piloted it far more than I this weekend. I suppose I don't really mind to share, but when I want to ride, he better let me!
So far my thoughts on the bike are this:
First, it is a really comfortable bike. The handle bars are cruiser style and keep you sitting up on the equally comfortable seat. The grips are faux cork and easy to hang on to.
It is a nice looking bike. While I could stand for a girly colored option, the black is nice. The deck is a finished hardwood and the grain is pretty. The bags this year are brown as opposed to the orange of previous models.
The gears are fabulous. It's a 16-speed. I was nervous about that, just because I am used to the 27-speed Giant (which I have ridden a lot this weekend--because Chris was, well, riding the Ute!) I was worried it would be difficult to ride up the many hills of Arvada, but so far it seems to be great. Loaded with groceries and/or kids might be a different blog post. :)
So far my only qualm is the brakes. It comes with disc brakes and these are squeaky and noisy. My father has given me some useful tips to remedy this issue, so we'll keep tinkering with. They stop me like they should and are responsive, so for the most part I really shouldn't complain.
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| They love it as much as we do! |
In other news, we have made the executive decision to do carless weekends. We managed to only do one trip by car in 48 hours. With a little more planning we could have gone completely without it. The Ute makes this idea so much more feasible and with the CannonballX coming next weekend, things will be a total breeze.
I gotta work out all the kinks! I wouldn't want you to NOT enjoy your new bike ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm so obsessive. You have an awesome bike!
You are a good wife letting him borrow your bike. Brakes will come around for you, if the front brake is rubbing try resetting the wheel on the forks. Tweek rotor at the spot it contacts the pad, slight pressure is all it usually needs to align the rotor. Clearance is adjusted with the red knob. They are good breaks, pretty much bullet proof.
ReplyDelete