I’ve used my century checklist for several rides since BAB, and it’s saved my butt more than once! Tomorrow morning I’m riding the Lodi Sunrise Century, assuming there are no thunderstorms or other hideous weather. Once again I’m heading out for a hundred mile ride on my 20-year-old bike. Speaking of which…
I was talking to the wrenches at Peak Adventures some more about my upgrade-or-replace quandary, and David was asking some very insightful questions. He wanted to know which bike I was thinking about getting. The Specialized Sequoia Elite is my top contender, but he thought my old bike was a better-built touring bike. I also mentioned that I’d like to get my wife to go out touring with me, when he suggested that I buy a tandem bike. Doh! Why didn’t I think of that?!? So for right now, by dilemma is solved–I’m saving up my money for a KHS Milano tandem bike.
My wife doesn’t want to start tandem riding until our remodeling project is done, and I’ll keep riding my old bike when I’m solo, so I’m going to go ahead and upgrade the rear wheel and cogs pretty soon. This is an excellent solution, since I get to have my cake and eat it too! I’ll fix up my Burgundy Beauty and get a new bike and (hopefully) get my wife to start riding with me. 🙂
