Have a Cigar ...

My new baby came in today. Actually, it kind of came in Saturday, but I was off in Lexington, TN, riding the Shiloh permanent (more on that later this week), so Lynn and Vida Greer took it home with them that night and I picked it up today.

In case you're curious, my new baby is the new Randoboy, a custom titanium beauty from Lynskey. It's my anniversary present from the Randowife, who is the Official Best Wife in the World.

Here's me with it. You know that I'm thinking, "Can I keep it?"



I was pretty tired from yesterday's ride, so I only took it for a short 25-mile shakeout, but it felt great. No, it was better than that, it felt great! I rode it down Old Natchez, which has a terrible surface, and it soaked up everything. Going up onto the Trace from Hwy 96, it climbed like a dream. Coming down the Trace towards Hwy 100 it descended as if it was on rails.



And it looks as good as it rides! Lynn, who owns Gran Fondo (the Official Best Bike Shop in the World) in Nashville, deserves all of the credit. First off, he knows how I ride and what I like and what my weaknesses are, so he built this bike to work with all of that. Then, he put a perfect mix of components on it, with pewter Deda stem and Chris King headset and Deda handlebars. It's all pewter colored or forest green, as on the bar tape.



Check out the Lynskey signature. Right below that, check out the green cap on the brake cable. That is the Gran Fondo attention to detail.



It's got a straight AlphaQ CS-10 fork that looks and feels totally bitching, and everything else Shimano Ultegra (because the extra for DuraAce is really just not worth it) to go with the triple crank that will get me up any hill. Maybe even Brasstown Bald.



It's got mounts for three water cages, a frame pump, and a rear rack. This will not only get me through almost any brevet or long tour, but the lightness of the bike will get me through it so much faster than before.



Lynn started the ride with me, then called me later to make sure it felt good. And he kept pointing out little things and telling me that I could take the spacers off the headset and lower the handlebars and race the bike, if I wanted to. It was so cool because you could tell that he loves this stuff. He was telling me to bring it in later in the week to put on the trainer and tweak the fit, and I reminded him that I should also bring a check in so I could pay for the thing.

This is the mark of a great bike shop. They do great bikes, tailoring them to fit the people that will be on them, because they love bicycles. Business is secondary.

I showed it to the Randodaughter (the Official Best Daughter in the World) when I got home. She thought it was pretty, but agreed that the coolest thing was the top tube:



'Nuff said!

P.S.: If you want to see more pictures of the bike (yeah, I was like that when the Randodaughter was born, too), go to Snapfish