Well folks, you know how it goes, you head out with the intention of browsing, and end up coming back home with an armload of stuff. Or in my case, you come home with a bike. So it goes...
But yes, we have acquired the first of the two bicycles for our trip! Kate and I took a nonchalant Sunday morning trip to our local bike shop, the Angry Catfish, which specializes mainly in smaller bicycle brands and higher end builds. Lo and behold, they had on hand a Salsa Fargo titanium frame bike in my exact size, and to make it extra awesome, they had added in the deal a set of front and rear racks, as well as a frame bag and a couple water bottle mounts. All in all, I would estimate there was an additional $400 of gear that we essentially got for free, in addition to a top of the line bike on clearance. The above photo shows the bike as it was on the floor, and as I brought it home.
The guy who helped us, Stephen, was an avid bike tourer and was really enthusiastic when we explained to him our plan to ride the Great Divide route. He was exceedingly helpful, and patiently answered all my questions. Maybe the best of all, because we are making a rather large investment in bikes at their shop, he promised to do his best to get Kate a good deal on a similar bike, as well as order it in for her to test ride. We are hoping to ride very similar bikes with similar tires, wheels, and components, so that we don't need to worry about the interchangeability of spare parts and the like.
As for the setup, the frame bag will definitely be on the bike when we start our travels, but I would doubt the front rack will be (in fact I already took it off). In the next few years, I'm curious to test out rear storage systems - either use the rack and put panniers on, or remove the rack and use a large seatbag in an ultralight setup. But regardless, we'll figure that out later.
For the time being, it was very exciting to take the first (biggest) step to our adventure - actually getting the first vehicle that will carry us from Canada to Mexico. I mean sure, I looked at the pending charges on my credit card this morning and nearly barfed, but as Kate and Stephen reminded me yesterday, the experiences we are going to have together on these bikes, both on the Great Divide and on the rides leading up to it and after it, are going to far exceed any temporal monetary cost. I will be excited to tell this story when it is over, and I think that's the most important thing.
Naturally, I rode this dude to work today, and I can say that the first 27 miles have been a resounding success!
UPDATE
For those of you who want a little more details, here are a bunch of photos I took of the bike today - note that the front rack has been removed.
Good view of the rear rack - not sure if this will go along on the trip, but it's here now!
Shimano XT components.
Bike came with a Brooks B17 leather saddle. I have one of these on my commuter bike, and I really like it. The only issue is it can get warped really easily if wet, so you need to cover it during rain.
This is kinda cool - the seatpost has a tiny little suspension in it, to help absorb low level vibration. This is especially important when you don't have a front or rear suspension.
Big tires and disc brakes.
Front view - you can see the drop bars flare a little bit off to the side. This helps you maintain control over the bike on rougher terrain.
Whoops, got photobombed.
Whoops, got photobombed.
The handlebar is called the Woodchipper. The bike is called the Fargo. Get it?
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