1/13/98
The team gets a couple of frames from the sponsor, and I was able to get a frame from last year! It's a LeMond Zurich, TIG-welded out of Reynolds 853 steel. It's a pretty nice bike, being the best steel bike in the LeMond line last year. I had Matt take all the parts from my Bianchi and put it on the Zurich. I had to buy a new front derailer, but that was only around $20. I rode it last Saturday, and it was great. It felt pretty good, but the chain seemed to skip when I tried to sprint. I made some adjustments since then, so hopefully I have the problem licked.
I'm in the process of getting cheap parts for the Bianchi. I figured it would be neat to have another backup good bicycle. I was able to pick up a rear derailer, stem, handlebar, and brake levers for $6. Now all I need are brake calipers, seat and seat post, and cranks. The cranks may be kind of expensive, but I think I can get them for less than $60.
Last Saturday's ride was really cold and windy. It was great going down wind, but really bad coming up wind. At least it was fairly dry.
Yesterday, we had snow in Seattle, and I rode my cheap French bike to school. If I had thought about it, I would have taken my mountain bike. It was kind of slippery going downhill to the bike trail, but once I got on the bike trail, it was no problem at all.
I thought the weather might be bad again today, so I took the bus. It turned out not to be so bad afterall...