The Newest Stallion in the Stable

There was a knock on the door at 3:55 yesterday afternoon:

Be still my beating heart...




Oooohhhh, baby.




The words I've been longing to hear.



My favorite design detail.




From an artsy angle. Observe the finely-tuned wishbone suspension.



Bling. The first gruppo I've owned at this level.



Bling bling. Wipe that drool from your mouth, boy.




Bling bling bling. Undoubtedly the finest brakes I've ever owned.

All of this prodigious velophoria for only $1035. (Did I mention that it's from a dealer, and it literally was never test ridden even once? Brand spanking new -- as of 2006.)

I'd like to thank eBay and the failing U.S. economy.

I was right about the red: In the eBay photos, I really didn't like it. When I saw it in person, I fell in love. The red of a ripe tomato bursting with life. The red of my blood jumping in my veins when I opened that box. The red of a harlot's fingernails. The red of a distressingly fast Italian sports car.

No... just the red of a light, fast, human-powered road machine.

Excuse me while I go put this baby together. Pics of the assembled beauty to follow.