2000 Bianchi Volpe

Lori's bike, purchased new.  For her birthday, I had it tuned at Chocolate Spokes and also had them put on fenders, because fenders are always good according to the BikeSnob:

Now that's a different kind of Golden Rule.

Anyway, I didn't get any "before" pictures, so you'll just have to settle for the final product.  Planet Bike fenders.  Celeste green cloth bar tape + twine + clear shellac.  I had a devil of a time getting the twine on one side of the bars and I don't know why.  I'll bet I tried it 15 times.  Watched the video, made sure I was doing it correctly and still no success.  Thus no close-ups of the twine job.  Note to self, amber shellac is much more forgiving and hides mishaps.  But 4 layers of shellac should ensure that my mediocre twine job isn't going anywhere in the near future.

Clicky for big

It turned out pretty well, I think.  The celeste bar tape really makes it pop.

Practice makes...it worse?

It seems like the more handlebars I attempt to wrap and twine, the worse I get at it.  WTH is up with that?

No wonder I rarely try anything new.

New shoes and a bath

Ye Olde Steamroller got some much-needed love last night.  Poor thing has been neglected, what with the shiny newness of the Cross-Check stealing all of the attention.

I found some Vittoria Randonneur tires for a good price on The Clymb and finally got around to mounting them (haha, that sounds obscene).  Anyway, they are 32mm wide, replacing the 28mm Ruffy Tuffys that have served me well for I don't know how many years. 

Next up is a girlie saddle--I have a B17s ready to mount (that word again) and perhaps some new handlebars.  I can't decide if I should try the Soma Sparrow that I previously had on the Cross-Check or if I should try something else.  I don't want to mess around with switching stems, which I might need to do with the Sparrows since the positioning on them would be completely different.

It's hard to believe I've had this bike for 12 years.  It stoked my joy of fixed gear bikes and has taken me on many adventures.  And there will be many more.  xoxo 1st gen Steamroller!

Hmm, what a compelling offering!

A 650b touring frame/bike from Soma!

The 650b wheel size is one that I've been dying to try.  From what I hear, it's the real sweet spot between 26" and 700c.  I can't wait to see a few of these built up (the production frames will be ivory and gorgeous).  And if it's a Soma, it will be affordable.  This could be the n+1 I've been waiting for!