Her maiden voyage: "sea trials"

This afternoon I took advantage of the temps in the 60s and took the new Randonneuse on her maiden voyage. UMMM, Chuck, I hope you broke a bottle over the fresh powder coat before I picked her up! Actually, today and the next 3 or 4 rides are sea trials. Before a new vessel is certified mission ready, the Navy conducts extensive tests on all ship systems as well as crew readiness. Today's ride serves as day 1 of sea trials as I get the bike all dialed in prior to her first brevet.


It is a good thing too, I had a couple bolts come loose. No worries, I brought some wrenches just for that purpose. Some quick adjusting and back to peddling.

The Randonneuse is a pleasure to ride. It takes little effort to cruise along at a comfortable pace even in the wind. I had to find some hills. In Virginia Beach is FLAT but, there are bridges over the inlets. I took the Randonneuse back and forth over a couple bridges...I mean hills. She seems to glide up and down the hills easily.

Hills in VB look like this.

I keep saying easy. This bike is very easy to ride compared to my Motobeceane. The MB was like dragging a chunk of metal everywhere; a constant fight. The Randonneuse feels completely opposite. I always thought there was something 'wrong' with the MB and now it is confirmed.

Next, I headed for the ocean front and home after a couple of shots.

Beach Cruiser????

This photo sums it all up!

Ride: 19 miles

Practice:
Z - hips, knees
JM
Pull up - 5x10
Evil Wheel - 5x5
Iranian Push ups - 5x5

My new ride: COHO Randonneuse

Today we zipped out to pick up my new COHO Randonneuse built by Chuck Lathe.
It is comfy and looks very cool. I can't wait to sit on it for about 10 hours. That's my plan to do exactly that next weekend riding the Mason-Dixon 200K beginning in Bethesda, MD.

The Randonneuse was built with:

• Brooks saddle
• Nitto bars, stems, seat post
• Paul Racer brakes
• Honjo Fenders
• Berthoud bag,
• (2) E6 lamps yes, two and Chuck says they are bright! I hate not being able to see at night. Especially when medium size animals are thinking about jumping in front of you.
• Schmidt Dynohub from Peter White,
• Synergy rims
• Tires: Grand Bios 700x30
  
• Ultegra rear hub/drive train with 9speed cassette

Thanks Chuck!

The photo shows my Ultegra SPDr pedals but I plan to use SPD pedals soon.

More photos to follow along with a review of The Ride.

Yesterday's practice:
Z 20min
JM
RIS
Iranian Push ups

I'm starting to feel pretty good and loose. I am a little sore from the RIS esp. in the hip flexors. The trade off is my back didn't bother me today.

The Busch and Mueller IXON light

Before the 300k in the brevet season, I purchased a Busch and Mueller IXON LED headlamp for my rides. The copy touted an 8 hour run time on low power and 6 hours on high power. Sounds good to me. That put me right at the edge on a summer night. After 5 months of use including 3 all night rides, I can honestly say this is a great investment.

The IXON has worked far beyond expectations. I have yet to change the batteries during a ride. In fact, I rode the last ride and used it for about 8 hours, during the following weeks, I used it another 3 hours before deciding to recharge. Better safe than sorry on a commute, right?

The IXON comes with handlebar mount, a fork mount batteries and a charger.
Everything you need right in the box. Of course there are other accessories you may choose to purchase.

Here is another tidbit of information that was a real selling point. The IXON can be used with the Schmidt Dynohub. What does this mean to you? It is a great lamp for descents. It is a backup for your other lamps during long events like longer than 600K. You can use for commuting as an alternative to your randonneuring gear.

Workout:
Ride (0400) - 15 miles
Pull ups - 5x5
Hanging leg raises 5x5 (feeling the evil wheel)