Aaron was brave/stupid enough to join me on a ride to scope out my new commute today. I was glad to have him along, as he knew a bit of alternative route to avoid the longest hill on Mt. Royal Boulevard. The ride was certainly a challenge, with at least one hard hill and several smaller bumps going either direction. For the record, the ride out felt a bit harder than the ride home, due to the nice, gradual downhill into Etna and Sharpsburg. I am quite happy I ordered a larger cog (18 teeth) earlier today, and I’ll be continuing my search for a better pair of climbing handlebars. I spoke with another rider today who has a pair of moustache bars, and he said the jury is out on them. I’ll likely go the bullhorn/TT bar route (and skip the whole scorcher look) in the interest of saving $70.

Posted on 24 September 2005