Last night I hammered home. There was quite a bit we wanted to get done. First, I wanted to get to the Trek store to get a larger saddle bag, thus enabling me to use the Torelli in my daily commutes… at least for the time being. I ended up with the 120cu. in. Trek Side Loader. Noah recommended the Headland CMT. I went with the Side Loader for a couple of reasons… they had it at the Trek store right up the road from me, and I already had the mounting bracket installed under my seat from having bought the Pro Pack last year. The Side Loader doesn’t have the hard shell that the CMT has, but it is a little bit larger at 120cu. in., vs. 98cu. in. I really like the mounting bracket too.

While I was there, I broke down and took the Portland for a little test ride around the parking lot.

Uh… yeah. I like. A lot. It wasn’t sized for me, with the seat being way too low, and the levers were installed very high on the bars, but other than that, it was a fantastic ride. Getting used to Shimano style road shifting after spending so much time with Campy will take time. I’m all but instinctual with the Ergo style shifting… I’m clumsy and awkward with Shimano STI. The brakes weren’t broken in yet, either, so I don’t think I really got to enjoy the BB7 disc brakes.

It was just a 5 minute spin around the parking lot, so I’m not prepared to offer anything in depth, but first impressions were great. I’d be prepared to offer a glowing 5 star review full of smooth shifting and speed, soft comfortable handlebars and color coordinated cable housings if Trek would let me try one out for a few months…

I’ll just sit here and wait for that call…

While I wait, I’ll continue…

After peeling myself off the Portland, it was to Arby’s for a quick dinner, and back to the house to eat and settle in. It was our intention to get some preparation work done for the garage sale this weekend (yes, we’re having a garage sale this weekend…) but instead, we hit the couch, let 3 episodes of 1st season Farscape wash over us, and then went to bed.

Somewhere in there we did get some laundry done and I prepped the Torelli for the morning ride in.

Which, btw, was fantastic! I was slightly disappointed that I only achieved an 18.5mph average, but there was a touch of headwind, and (let’s face it) not only do I suck, but I picked a route to maximize the hills. The wind and hills will slow a body down.

I’m not sure when I’ll be able to pull any ultra long commutes home on account of my evening schedules, but with the T under me, I’ll be able to make the most of what miles I do get in. I think Thursday and Friday nights will see some longer commutes, and there’s always the Saturday epic journeys to look forward to.

A few differences between the T and the Kona I can speak to right away…

• The T is faster (duh).
• The T is is far more nimble. Dodging pot holes is done with flair and confidence.
• The 700×23 tires on the T aren’t as forgiving of bumps in the road as the 26″ tires on the Kona. It’s a rougher ride.
• The gearing on the T is much higher, even in granny. That’ll take some getting used to, and I hope it doesn’t hurt me in Colorado.
• The T doesn’t look nearly as good all decked out for commuting, with the lights and the big saddle bag as it does minimal and streamlined. I need to get the P soon to return T to it’s full speed racer glory.

Now that I’ve taken the Kona off the single track and onto the roads, I think the next step would be to take the T off the road and onto the single track. I wonder how long it would last…