The new bike

It's funny how things happen.

Sunday night, our bikes were stolen. Bikes we treasured, bikes we loved. Bikes we sweated on, trained on, and raced on. A bike that felt like it could make me, a slow, fat man, fly. It wasn't much, but it was mine. It made me happy not just because riding it was the one area I felt like I could compete, but because like myself it started as not much to look at and didn't work all that great when called upon in a race. But with some effort and improvement it got through most of the races and I failed it more than it failed me (except that dumpy front derailer).

So last night when Rach and I stopped by International Bicycle looking at Treks, it was with a mix of emotions. I was excited to be buying a new bike, but disappointed that I wouldn't be given the opportunity to do any of the work myself this time. At least in the short term. I was also excited to be buying Rach the bike she wanted again, replacing her stolen wedding gift with the same bike. And while I really liked the Trek 1.1 (women's design) for Rach, I was only so-so about it for me. I've become a bit of a bike snob, and while almost any road bike would meet my needs, I wanted something that more than met my needs. Unfortunately, based on the insurance check and what we could afford to add it prevented me from going beyond an entry level bike.

Or so I thought.

Today, as I perused craigslist, I came across an unusual listing: a brand new bike still in the box. Not brand new per se, as it was a 2009 model year, but unassembled and unused, in pristine virgin condition. Amazingly, not only did it appear to be my size, it was also in our price range. And for the money, about 2 levels up in terms of components, which is what I was looking for. What was probably the most surprising thing of all is that it was a Fuji. If you'll remember, the road bike I sold a couple of months ago was a Fuji, and I'm a member of Team Fuji for the season.

So, before we headed over to International Bike to pick up the bike they'd assembled for Rach, we stopped out to take a look at the bike I found online. The seller tried to play hardball on the price, but in the end I got the bike for $24 less than I would have paid on the entry level Trek after taxes. Plus, because it's new, I have a full warranty from the manufacturer. And because it came in the box, I got to put it together myself. I'll still want to get it tuned up by a professional at some point, but I can certainly get some riding in before then. The only thing wrong with it is that it isn't blue.

Without further ado, my new Fuji Newest 1.0

From humble beginnings...

Add a little elbow grease...

In the end you get something wonderful

For those who are into bike specs, you can read them here. For those who don't know much about bikes let me just say a couple things:

• The current model with almost exactly the same features sells for the $1,099
• All of the components except the rear wheel are better than anything I've had before.
• The front fork is carbon, which makes it a lighter, smoother ride
• Just look at it, it's freaking awesome

It came partially assembled, so I was able to get it ready to ride in about an hour, and put in a quick 1 mile ride on our well lit street. I didn't get my 30 mile ride in today, but I can guarantee with the new bike that ride will be made up for by the weekend.