So I went to visit the Evil Hoku at work the other day.
I like visiting the bicycle shop even though it usually means taking out my wallet. This time I was there to try on some Giro sunglasses.
That's another story.
Well while I was there, I was looking around and saw the new steel Specialized Allez:
I've been thinking of gettings something like a crossbike in steel. I want to be able to run fatter tires; I don't really dig the whole 23mm thing.
Feels like I'm riding on spaghetti and I'd rather be riding on doughnuts:
So anyways, they had this steel Allez there in a 49. I had seen the bike there before in a larger size, so it's not like it was new to me. I guess since it was in a size I don't fit, I didn't really pay too much attention to it.
This time, I paid it a lot of attention.
I even took it for a very short ride.
Just to try it out don't you know.
I sort of like it. I like it enough that I'm going back to give it a longer test drive.
Not sure if that is a good idea.
I mean I had an Allez once; you can read about it here.
I don't need another bike.
Well, you can never have enough bikes I guess so let's just say that I don't have room for another bike.
Well okay, I have the room, so let's say that I can't afford another bike.
Actually my tax returns are coming in so I sort of have the cash, so let's just say that, well, let's just leave it at that.
I'm trying real hard to talk myself out of this.
Real.
Hard.
So I'm thinking that maybe I should sell the Beach Bike, um, Barn Door, and get the Allez.
I like the Barn Door:
I like the fact that I don't have to get all gussied up to ride it. What I mean is I don't have to wear the shorts or the shoes just to go out for a spin.
It's a go out on a whim kind of bike.
Holo holo if you will. That's Hawaiian for gallivanting. Going out for no reason or just for fun.
Holo holo is not to be confused with lolo, which means crazy, which is what I'm beginning to think I am.
Thing is, so far this year, I have logged a whopping twenty miles on the Barn Door. That's like two and half percent of my total mileage.
Can you see where I'm going here?
I can see it and I'm not sure I like it:
The Allez is close enough to what I was looking for and it would be less expensive to just get that than build something up.
Or so I try not to tell myself.
There are a couple of steel cross frames I'm looking at that go for around four hundred or so and once I put it all together I'm thinking it will come in just under a thousand.
The Allez will run me half that.
So in a sense, it's sort of bargain.
Sort of.
Oh, and did I mention that it's red?
I mean c'mon! It's red!
I think I'll go trolling on Craig's List.
Getting a bite may seal the deal.
3 comments:
That's like me and guitars, man. You just have to stay out of those stores if you don't want to see something that will grow and prey upon your mind.
Steel is great but I don't know about those downtube shifters. If you want to go all consciously retro that's cool, but STI has been around since 1990 so you can kind of look at that like retro that works better.
Mr. Dogimo
Lucky you weren't around when I suddenly decided I wanted a new guitar and I went on a search and destroy mission that involved Gibson, Guild, and Taylor. Should've popped for a J200 or at least a j45 back then. Instead I bought something useful, like a TV.
JRA
I hear you on the DT shifters. I'm trying out the Allez today, so we'll see. At least they are indexed.
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