I swung by Time's Up to remove a stuck bottom bracket, but even with four people - one person stabilizing the tool and the stand, two people stabilizing the bike, and the fourth person using a three foot cheater bar on the tool - the damn thing wouldn't come out. I want it sooner rather than later, and no shop that anybody I was talking to knew of stocked midlevel Campagnolo bottom brackets, so I had to do some internet clicking to order one. Damn. Wish I just had it in my QBP order. You know, the order where I also ordered the wrong size seatpost, and failed to order the Campagnolo housing/cable replacement set that wound up costing me $[REDACTED] when I realized I needed it at Bike Works.

So I've already spent a bit more on this newish bike than I had planned. Picking up a new frame and swapping parts is never that straightforward, is it? Even when you've got an awesome coop to rely on.

It's slightly frustrating, but it's not like it's breaking the bank. It's just that I'm spending more than I anticipated. I think it will be worth it, though.

Other things I have to look forward to: selling two wheelsets. Two wheelsets? Really? I think so. I think I plan to buy a low-end Campagnolo wheelset for the newbike, sell the old crosslaced one - if not soon, then, well, later when I figure out my employment situation. I'm also selling one of my fixed gear wheelsets and replacing it with the jumble of whatever-else-is-around, in my ongoing quest to simplify my number of wheels that I've got sitting around.

My new road bike is turning into something that's considerably less lock-up-able than my old one, but I don't think that will bug me all that much. It might be a slight annoyance here and there, but I'm also happier with my "commuter" than I have been in a while, and I also live much closer to most of the things I do.

Up until fall 2007, I had been relying on my fixed gear commuter and my Pogliaghi for around-town transportation, but was interested in getting a road bike. The advantages are obvious - brakes, gears, the ability to go down hills going really fast. It was part of my gradual transition from, you know, being somebody who rides in cut-off jeans to being somebody who rides in lycra.

Last fall, a trip up to Rhode Island coincided with somebody in Westchester County selling an older, brifter-equipped steel-and-carbon roadbike, and so on our way I picked up the Bianchi Veloce, set up with Campy 9 speed. It took a little while to get it to fit - I had to get a comfortable saddle (I started with an Selle Italia SLR, used a Flite for a while, and I've settled on an Arione), more appropriately "ergo" bars with a shallower drop (I hate the square-shaped ergo drops), a threadless adapter so I could use an open-face stem with these bendy bars... I also picked up a double crankset (didn't need the granny!), a prettier and more adjustable seatpost, road pedals, and a short-cage rear dérailleur (a story of its own...). The bike was meant to be a more recreation-oriented road bike, but I was going to try to squeeze a bit more performance out of it. The differences lie in gearing, easily changeable setup, and vanity, so it's not hard to do.

The shifting was pretty finicky at first - it took me a while to get used to getting the shifting on point, but replacing the cable and housing took care of that. Still, though, the rear shifter has what I assume is a worn-out spring in the mechanism, which makes it possible to overshift by half a cog without the mechanism returning to the center of the click. This gives a unique ability to trim the rear dérailleur, which is particularly necessary after shifting up or down two or three cogs at a time - the pull from the shifter causes the dérailleur to over shift a fraction. I've gotten quite deft at it - flicking the mouse-ear and then tapping the paddle to center the dérailleur on the cog of choice - but wouldn't mind a rebuild that would get the shifting to lock in a bit more precisely.

The wheels are 32-spoked, 3-cross wheels, which I don't mind. Since I do use this bike regularly, it sees some lock-up time and I like avoiding some bling factor. However, I wouldn't mind some sportier wheels for next season's racing. I'm keeping my eyes open on ebay and craigslist for something with fewer spokes and a deeper rim.

It's not the fanciest rig on the streets, but it gets me riding places I wouldn't be riding otherwise, and - like all my bikes - is a tough little workhorse with that fierce underdog pride.

Here it is from last week's 40-miler up toward River Road/Hudson Drive with Ev. It's a bit shrouded in shadow.

I put back together my "commuter bike," which I've rarely used since I stopped delivering in May. I finally took off a saddle that I had hoped would come around to being comfortable, and put on a reliable classic Flite. What a difference - the bike is ridable and I had a blast riding all over the past few days. Feeling a solid strength in my legs again - I've missed riding fixed.

So I also put back together my pretty steel track bike, and intend to put many long park miles on it in the next few months.

Of course, once I put all the parts on to my new road frame, it might take precedence.

This morning, I pumped up my road bike's rear tire. It's got a slow leak - never enough to make it flat enough to ride, but enough to make it soft.

I've been feeling slow lately. For the past few weeks, it's felt as though everything on the bike takes a lot of energy - when I'm going, I'm crawling, spinning slowly, struggling up the bridge, never cruising at those fast paces that I love so much. I thought it was me having gotten knocked out of shape by my somewhat dismal August.

Um. Do you see where this is going?

This morning, I pumped up my road bike's rear tire. When I stuck the pumphead on, the pressure guage read 50psi. Seriously? I've been riding 50psi, thinking "it feels a little bit soft," for a month. Where has my head been?

Oh dear.

So I put it at 120 psi, had a bone-jarring ride to work ("oh right, this is what it feels like to ride over these streets at this pressure") that was also much, much swifter than it has been.

Oh dear.

So my head might be stuck thinking I'm way off my top form (which I might be), and though my body had been agreeing, it seems like some sensible changes to my bike might reverse the whole course and get me back on track for some fun-level competitions this fall: Nyack and Back, being put on by Crihs late this month, and the Wednesday night Prospect Park track bike races that Al is doing.

Of course, knowing that Jersey Dan will be competing - after having taken first cat 4 in the Green Mountain Stage Race - well, it's not like I'm gonna win.

But I'll have fun, and I won't be whining about how I can't make my bike move.