Took the Surly Pacer out for its maiden voyage (okay, I did a little ride Friday too). Set up with fenders, leather saddle and bar tape, and its downtube shifters all all, the only think that was lacking was a tweed cap! Met up with Tom and Cam for a 60 mile ride that I was apprehensive about keeping up with. Fortunately Tom was on a 'cross bike with 'cross tires, and Cam was rolling on studs, so my 25c road tires were fast by comparison. A zip tie on my fender broke, but we made it to Tonka Cycle and they got me rolling in no time - great service! They even offered towels for our mud-spattered faces. We continued on and stopped at the new Excel Cycle so Tom could get his computer working, to no avail. A nice, high-end shop, very snazzy. Just as I was running out of water, we stopped at Caribou in Minnetonka, where Paula Plant was enjoying a coffee too. The breaks were good, as we had a stiff wind on the way out, in spite of Tom pulling us along. I started bonking just as we hit the Greenway, but a candy bar and Powerade had me feeling like doing it all over again after about 10 minutes. The Greenway still had some packed snow in patches, but it wasn't icy for the most part, so the road tires worked fine. Tom estimates 53 miles at 16.8 mph. A great ride, and great to be outside riding in nice weather!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Spring ride!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Pacer commuter coming along
The Surly Pacer is being reincarnated yet again. This frame is so versatile! It started out as my only geared road bike and got me started road racing. Believe it or not, I won a couple races on this tank! Then it became my Cycle Oregon bike. Perfect plush ride for long days in the saddle. Then it got kicked to the curb for a while when I got the Basso racing bike. I cleaned it up here after its near death from salt exposure and subsequent neglect. Then it became a parts donor for road and cyclocross racing. Now it's going to be my commuter. New fenders, derailleur, overhauled down to the frame and rebuilt. Still needs bar tape, saddle, finish dialing in the shifting and headset, and it's good to go. Just in time to commute after Hell Week to maintain base fitness.
