Jose the Backroads Dreamboat

After work, I hopped on the new San Jose, and headed out into BFE. My route took me east towards Capac, as the wind was blowing out of the east... I like to have the tailwind for the latter part of the ride if possible. Necessary tweaks had made to the saddle position... the saddle was moved forward quite a bit, and the nose was angled down, and the track cog was installed and rear wheel flipped around.
After a quick jaunt to the North, I headed to the east on the wind tunnels that were Weyer and Petz roads. Jose handled the dirt great, taking the sting out of the bumps. In fact, the ride didn't seem much rougher than the fat tired beast on the dirt. Having the drops allowed me to get into a bit more aerodynamic position, which helped greatly.
I turned south on Capac Road, and headed through downtown Capac. My route eventually took me south to Dryden Road, which I took back across Van Dyke. The last few miles were ridden in gradually decreasing light, making me thankful for my flashing taillamp and my headlamp... even though I saw very few cars.
After 31.5 miles, I rolled in, having enjoyed a great ride on a great bike.

Spring

Time to get outside. "5-Nut Hill" here I come!


In other news, the stable grew by one the other day. I was able to track down a leftover 2008 Bianchi San Jose. This will become my "go-to" ride for mixed dirt/paved road riding. Also, I'm planning on doing a bit of cyclocross racing this fall.


The maiden voyage was this past Tuesday; 28 miles mostly paved, but with a mile of dirt thrown in. The ride was very nice, not too much more jarring than the fat-tired beast on the dirt. The cockpit still needs to be tweaked: saddle feels a bit skewed, saddle is too "nose up", I think the saddle may not be far enough back, but these can be quickly addressed. Also for road use I'll need to get some different gearing. The stock 42:17 was a bit "spinny". I've only ridden it free so far, and I'll definately need taller gearing when I put the track cog on.