I Get a New Bike

On the way home from northern Spain we stopped off in Madrid and caught up with bro y la familia

I thought I'd take the opportunity to look at some bike shops. BOK recommended a large store close to Atocha station, one from which he had bought bikes for the boys.

Straight away things looked good! They were having an end of model sale on Orbea bikes. A Spanish brand I had harboured a mild lust for (I think Deb suspects the theft was a set-up!).

Bike talk I know, but I could save 800 €uros on the 2007 price of an Opal by accepting Shimano Ultegra levers and rear derailleur instead of DuraAce as offered on the new 2008 models, which are more expensive again. My stolen Avanti had Ultegra throughout and it worked just fine. It also meant I had to take a black with blue trim bike, when I would have prefered the red trim. Ah well. 800 €uros plus is stack of Kiwi pesos.

This is a total carbon fibre construction, the frame made in Spain.

If interested, you can check it out (just click the Opal option) at:
http://www.orbea.com/en-gb/productos/bicicletas/Pages/bicicletas.aspx

One day the Orca perhaps????

I bought the bike Friday morning before going home and was promised delivery in Antequera next Tuesday. In that peculiar Spanish way, this turned out to be late Thursday. And then, the wrong size was delivered - one too small! Some interesesting Spanish telephone conversation followed. I made the decision to deal with the situation cara a cara, that is - face to face, and jumped the train back to Madrid on Monday. I switched the bike for one my size without any problems - and scored a red trim bike, don't ask me! - and caught a train back home same day. Fast trains, great,

And you have to say it matches the RoostersRacing cycling outfit fantasticaly. Yeah?













So with the trip north and bike replacement it was five weeks before I got back out on a bike. I could get stuck into training for the L'Etape. Except we were going on a trip to Malta in a week and a half time. But, I was able to squeeze in the club trip to Granada and the ride up to the ski fields of the Sierra Nevada. Only 40km in length, but climbing 1,700 meters once the hill kicked in out of town. Pehaps I was just fresh, but ripped up no problems.

I look forward to putting some kilometers away on this new baby.

Mad
aka Max