Back to the OTC

With the rear tire on the Raleigh flat, I decided to get the other bike tuned up. It's an older Bianchi that also has the gear swich on the frame. It's purple, so the girls across the street questioned, "Why are you riding a girl's bike?". The "tune-up" at PULSE was NOT free as was advertised in the South Bay YMCA emailed newsletter. Rather, the guys at PULSE would "inspect" your bike for free. BLAH!

I got a tune up and new tires for the other bike anyway. I forgot the name of the tires. They were the cheapest at about $25 each. I figure I should start cheap and move up to better tires only if necessary.

I was curious to see how this bike (which is a smaller frame than the Raleigh) would ride. I got the bike back yesterday afternoon and did a quick test up and down my street to get the saddle level adjusted. The smaller frame does make a difference. I don't have to reach out as far to the handlebar and brakes. The other thing I like about this bike is the rear derailers "click" into each gear. With the Raleigh I had to estimate where each gear was and hope I find it.

So this morning I took it out and did my ride to the OTC. It went pretty well. The new tires that take a higher PSI than the Raleigh tires were pretty comfortable. Gear shifting was good. I even tried to speed down the hill to the OTC. Mid 30's in the MPH. At the OTC, I watched some of the women practice field hockey. Interesting.

I made it back to Paseo Ranchero and rode up the hill without stopping. I did have to stand up a bit at near top, but it went pretty well. All in all, about 17 miles in about 90 min. Till next week...