New bike

Yesterday I was suggesting you don't need fast modern kit to go fast and have a go at racing. Today I have some new kit. Tour fever and bicycle shop wallet seduction strikes again...

Today I collected the latest addition to my bicycle stable. I've been after a better bike for fast touring and longer training rides for quite a while. I've also been suffering with Cyclist's Palsy and wanted something that would help reduce the battering my hands have been taking on my current winter/training bike.

The specification was:
Comfortable, fast, equipped for pannier rack, steel, titanium or maybe carbon. Affordable.

Given the usual cost of the sort of bike I was after I was in no hurry but luck was on my side. I broke a wheel on my winter bike and given the worn out state it was in I arranged for Tony at Brucie's to build me a new pair of traditional training wheels. This wasn't expensive as far as good wheels go and before I knew it I had some new wheels.

BUT

This did mean I was in the shop a couple of times and a steel framed fast touring type bike they had built up was sitting on a rack seducing me....  To make matters worse Bruce was after an 80's steel race frame and I just happened to have one in the garage that had't been used for more than a year. I also had more or less enough good parts to build a bike up. We agreed a deal,  part exchange on the frames, a few new bit's and the new bike was created.

I now have a new bike Blue Reynolds 631 frame, Campag ten speed gears Shimano brakes and wheels built with DRC rims and Ambrosio Hubs.

I've done the initial sea trials this evening, adjusted the saddle a wee bit and gone up a few hills. Good news is I like it.

Maiden Voyage this weekend and more detailed review once it has a few miles on it.