So…The day after I crossed state lines to ride my bike, I’m rewarded for my bad behavior.
My next bike has arrived. The Miss Mercian I ordered back in February arrived at Bicycle Habitat. Hal Ruzal, Habitat’s longtime mechanic and Mercian maven, has just unpacked it for me:
He wanted to leave it wrapped so it won’t get dinged if someone decides to move it. It’s funny: A frame is actually at more risk of marring when it hasn’t yet been built up.
The finish is the same as on Arielle and Tosca, my other two Mercians . My new bike will have many of the same components as those other bikes (e.g., King headset, Phil Wood hubs, Mavic Open Pro Rims, DT spokes). However, the lady will sport “porteur” handlebars rather than the dropped bars on my other Mercians. It will also have fenders and a rack, which my other Mercians don’t have. Also, I will ride it with wider (700 X32 C) tires.
Getting a new bike is always exciting. However, this one is special for me because it’s my first nice ladies’/mixte frame. And I think of it as a birthday present to myself, even if that seems a bit self-indulgent.
Finally, it’s my first new bike since my surgery. And my three Mercians were all purchased in my life as Justine. So, in a sense, they’re all mine in a way that none of my previous bikes, however good, were.
