Flutterby™! : New Toy

Out here in West Marin the fire roads are better maintained, and we're further from everything. So as I've ground the mountain bike along Sir Francis Drake and over White's Hill, I've looked with envy at the road bikers, with their lower rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag. And I've been thinking it'd be cool to get a road bike.

Garage sale season opened this weekend, and I found a new toy. A 1985 Univega Gran Tourismo bicycle, cantilever brakes, serviceable shifting, so unused that the casting flash is still on the tires, for $20. It's probably a step below the bike I rode when I was in high school, mostly because of the wheels, but I took it for a spin yesterday, up past Roy's Redwoods, out through Nicasio, around the reservoir, past Black Mountain, back along the old railroad grade through Samuel P, and home.

Yeah, the frame is clearly chromoly and absorbs a noticeable bit of power relative to modern high end frames, and it's got shifters on the down tube rather than brifters, and it's a bit heavy, but even after I put a nicer saddle on it I think it's still the best dollars per performance bicycle I've ever owned. And heavy wheels? Well, I remember how much time I spent keeping the light ones true...

But I was also reminded as I tucked in behind a pack on the flat stretch by the water of why cycling is a team sport. Spinning at 20mph is a far cry from finessing over the ruts and rocks, and being able to trade off the lead to have someone else cut the wind is a big deal. Which is probably where the real gains come from on the tandem.

Anyway, I think I just cut my time over the hill and into Fairfax by a third.