Tonic

Life on the new Jamis Quest has been fun. Still need to tweak the fit a little bit, and I'm not crazy about the Ritchey BioMax handlebars, on which the shoulders are swept back from the flats just a little bit. I never understood that. Whose wrists naturally angle outward, away from the center of the body? I'll be shopping around for something short and shallow soon -- maybe the Salsa bars by that name.

However, I did 35 miles on the thing last Friday and fairly flew the whole route, including, surprisingly, on the hills. I mean, the bike is a few pounds heavier than the CAAD 8, that aluminum razor blade I tortured myself on for three years. But there's an X-factor to it -- it just moves.

The jury's still out, but it seems there might be something true about the reputation for liveliness that steel has -- quality steel. There's a certain zing I get from it that's hard to describe. As if there were tailwinds the whole route, or  invisible wings on the chainstays. Lovely!

My family and I buried my dad's ashes in a lovely country cemetery in the Catskills of New York State last weekend. It was a brutal week leading up to it -- like going through his death all over again. The family relations were weird. But on the day of the event, the clouds parted -- literally, since we had sun for the only time in days -- and a small, sweet group of friends and family came together and made the day right. In the end, Pop would have been pleased, though he would have said something restrained, like, "That was correct." Good ol' Pop, heaven forbid he get excited. Miss him like crazy every day.

Off to yet another interview in preparation for the adoption. Was supposed to be the last, but it turns out, there'll be another. As Dad said when he was going through cancer treatment, "It's their world, I just live in it." If Mister Overbearing, 1933-2011, can go with the flow while facing off with his Maker, I can do this. No sweat.

Tomorrow? Sunny, low 70s, and 40 miles of New England hills with a friend -- a tonic for the stress and senselessness of the world.

All the News

Heckzapoppin' here at Velophoria Central. I thought I'd create a little roundup (as they say in the news biz) of the latest tidbits.

From the Everything Old is New Again Desk: Long-time readers know that my first serious bikes (back in COUGH the 1980s) were road bikes, and, despite my considerable gravel and off-road forays of late, that's where my roots remain. Now, I had been dissatisfied with my two road bikes for some time, though I haven't mentioned it much here. The Giant OCR was quite comfortable, but the quality of the ride and the spec was getting me down. The Cannondale CAAD 8 was a stunning thoroughbred, but the top tube was too long, the bars were too low, and the ride was like mountin a razor blade -- sharp, but hardly comfortable. The Giant frame wasn't owrth the scratch for an Ultegra spec. Trying to frankenbike the crystal-pure racing pedigree of the CAAD into something more relaxed went against everything the bike was built for.

I searched for a good compromise for nearly a year. A month ago, I found it: The Jamis Quest. An elegant and responsive frame wrought from storied Reynolds 631 steel, and a good spec (including Mavic wheels and an Ultegra rear derailleur). I rode a variety of highly touted steel frames during this search (including the alluring Casseroll from Vaya); this was the first that sang to me the music I remember from steel bikes of old. I was able to do a straight trade last week for the other two bikes at my favorite LBS (Hampshire Bicycle Exchange) so my wallet made no objection. The first 50 miles have been quite promising; much more to say on this beauty as the miles pile.

A very similar Quest build to mine. Pix to come. (Photo: cincinnati.biowheels.com)

From the Life Goes On desk: We're off this weekend to bury my dad's remains at a beautiful little cemetery not far from the country home he and  my stepmom made in the Catskills. Bizarre, natural, cyclical, unpleasant, good. 'Nuff said.

From the Major Announcements Buried in a Humdrum Post desk: One of the things that has been taking up our time and energy lately is the exciting pending addition of a first child to our family. For the last year, we have been going through all the bureaucracy leading to eligibility for adoption. Well, we are now fully eligible, and our agency is beginning to look at children for us. We'll be adopting a young boy, probably of pre-school or kindergarten age. Needless to say, this has been quite a big process for us, both externally and internally. I haven't said anything about it here because there isn't a lot to say until you're actually eligible -- just a lot of classes and paperwork. Now? On the one hand, there has been -- and will be -- less time and energy to do all the outdoor things that make life so good for me. On the other hand... well, come on. A son! There is nothing better than that. We're excited and overwhelmed. Obviously, once a child ins in our house, you'll be hearing a lot more about this. Like maybe forever. The Velosopher's life is changing completely.

Family rides are in the future, for one thing!