Bicycles and Whims

Being as it's the start of another trip around the sun, there has been some talk of late of the things we accomplished in the last year. Somehow all my thoughts have turned back to bikes. Last year was the first year I actually biked all through an Edmonton winter - big thanks go to Mal for showing me joys of studded tires. We also biked out to Pigeon Lake again, with Sophie this time; and did a short jaunt out to Beaumont with her which included a portage over a mudbog. June saw us ride half of Nova Scotia, and in August I actually succumbed to the dictates of my ego and signed up to ride the Icefields Parkway with the group Rem was putting together. It all turned out to be lots of fun, though I have to admit that the Icefields trip (Jasper to Banff via two mountain passes, for those not in the know) would have been somewhat smoother had I owned waterproof gloves and sleeping pills. Next time! (Will there be a next time? Perhaps.)

So given that my head is apparently stuck in bikeland, perhaps it's not quite so stunning that I bought a new bike, completely on a whim, today. Christopher's bike shop, Velocity, was having a huge 2-day sale to clear out old stock. We went down to check it out with Sophie and discovered that they had a couple of Jamis Auroras at nearly 50% off. This is the same touring bike both Rem and Sophie have and love. It's a steel frame, so heavier than my current bike, Bouncing Betty, but also better at damping vibrations. It's also got drop bars, which I have thus far resisted getting, but which offer more hand positions. Both those features ought to mean that I have fewer problems with my hands and wrists on long rides. I've had some trouble with that in the past and have no desire to give myself nerve damage: it takes all the fun out of a tour!

So here's hoping that when I finally get to take her out some sunny spring day, I'll like my new bike even better than Betty. Just a few more months...

The picture: most of the crew at the top of the Sunwapta Pass. Chris is taking the photo and Lana the driver is already waiting for us at Parker Ridge. Holy cow was the descent from this point fun! The brown & white bike in front of Rem is also the same model that I just got.