Half-A-Commute (SS/XO)

@ Gravelly Point, Washington Monument and a landing airplane in the background.

SSXO has a nice ring to it.... I pushed a bit further than yesterday and tackled the only real 'hilly' portion of my regular commute aboard the XO-3 this morning.  I didn't have time to do the full 15 mile there and back but I did go from Four Mile Run Trail out to Gravelly Point in order to check my fitness, and the SS gearing for the three small roller's that interrupt the MV Trail near the Airport.

The outbound trip was a huge success, I felt strong and barely noticed the three hill's and had enough flats and downhill sections to make me feel like higher gearing was definitely in order.  Once I got to Gravelly Point though, I realized that I'd had a nice tailwind...  the trip back was still good but I did stand in the saddle twice to get up two of the hill's.  I think I'd still be ok with a bit higher gearing, maybe 44x17, or 45x17 as opposed to my current 40x17.  We'll see.

The new, original moustache bar's are excellent, just like on the Atlantis but w/out bar-end shifters. I do notice the slight reduction in hand area that was afforded by the shifter pods.  The Dia-Compe canti brake resucitation worked better than I had anticipated, good enough that I just cancelled my order for some Tektro 720's at least for now.  Overall the ride of the XO is very nice, it is the most maneuverable, quickest turning bike I have which makes sense.  I let a bit of air out of the Big Apple's and improved the ride noticeably.  Hands free riding seems very stable... if you are getting the picture that I'm a fan of this bike you would be correct!

No bar-end shifters adds the opportunity for some flair... 2009 was a good year!

Dia Compe XCE brakes are pretty gummed up and a bit rusty but an overnight WD-40 treatment and some fresh grease and they are back in business.   Given the catalog description I didn't expect to fit 2"/50mm tires on this frame but they clearly fit well.

Feeling 'Cocky'...?

I love the seat-stay decal's best... even if they are fairly obscurred even w/out a rear rack.

The 'founder of the feast'... the WI Eno Eccentric, I'm still running in the 17T WI freewheel vice the fixed cog for now and the spacing is still wrong at 135mm.  There is a mis-alignment in the rear dropouts that I am hoping is attributable to the incorrect hub O.L.D. but we'll see once the 130mm axle ends get in.

My nemisis... despite multiple ammonia bath's the seatpost has not budged even a little.  I can ride at the current height but I'd really prefer about an inch less...