Yesterday was 40* and it poured rain. The bad news about all of that is a crap-ton of rain mixed with a metric crap-ton of melting snow is more water than this area can handle. The good news is that the snow is gone, and everything was wet/muddy today, so I went for a ride with my Guru.
The bike is awesome. There are a few things that need a little adjustment, like my front derailleur only shifting if it wanted to, or my rear brakes locking up if you turn the handlebars more than 30*s, but overall I was very happy. The custom geometry is perfect. Zero back pain. The only discomfort I felt at all were little pains from not riding my bike enough. The numbness in my feet and gentleman area were completely gone.
The compact gearing is comical to me. It's so much easier going up hills. I know that if I get used to it, I'm going to hate my road bike. The difference in tire pressure really stood out a lot. I thought both tires were flat until I hit gravel and then it felt perfect. The shifting in the rear is addictive. Up shifts are fantastic. I just tap it a little bit and the chain clunks into the next gear with no wasted energy. I found myself changing gear when I didn't need to just because I like it so much. Downshifts aren't nearly as much fun. It's similar in motion to Campy but requires more effort. It's not bad, it just isn't as well done as either Campy or Shimano. The bike is also a lot quieter than my road bike thanks to the lack of King hubs. I'm used to the killer bee noise and the quiet really stood out. So did the lack of instant engagement. If I stood up while not in a high enough gear there was a huge dead spot. My lack of a smooth pedal stroke probably exacerbated the problem.
The ride itself was beautiful. I've been to where the Perkiomen Trail turns into gravel, but never rode on the gravel. I had no idea how far it went or what it was like. The first bit of it was under two inches of water, so it was interesting. Once it dried out it was like riding at Valley Green (Forbidden Drive) except there were more interactions with traffic. I was enjoying myself so much that before I knew it I was in Collegeville. I have no idea how far that is. I've intentionally left anything "scientific" off of the Guru. Ironically, it's my training bike but I don't want to know how fast I'm going, how far I've gone or what my heart-rate or cadence were. I just want to ride it. I didn't look at my stem once today. It was liberating.
I took a shot of the bike after my ride today. It was much dirtier, but the paved section of the Perkiomen was under water as well, and while I rode in the mud/muck on the way up, on the way back I rode through the water because I was tired. It washed away a lot of grime, but you can still see that I had fun.
