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It's been a while since I've posted here.  There's actually been heaps going on in my life, but I'm suffering a lack of blog-writing motivation at the moment.

You'll recall that a month or so ago, I approached Epic Cycles about a new commuter bike.  See, The Beast is great for recreational riding, but not so good at carrying things.  Specifically, carrying, well, anything.  For the last twelve months or so, I've been riding my bike to work, carrying my laptop and other necessities in a backpack.  It's been doable, but not as pleasant as it could be.

Long story short, Epic recommended a bike, and I test rode it.  The fit was awful.  I was very disappointed, but Emma, the cute chick at Epic, asked me to give her the Cannondale's measurements, and she'd find something to match.  I sent her the measurements and basically heard nothing back.  A week passed, another passed, and I sent an email asking what was going on.  The owner, John, replied, and let me know Emma would be in touch the next day.  She didn't call.  A few days later, I called and she told me she hadn't forgotten about me, that she was waiting on calls back from suppliers etc.  I've heard this song before and I felt it was a stalling tactic.  Another week or so passed, and I sent a cranky email asking WTF was going on.  John got back to me and basically took over from that point.  He suggested I bring the 'Dale in so he could measure it and see if he could get the Specialized to fit me.

So I went in last Saturday with the Cannondale, and John spent several hours with me.  He got the Specialized to a ballpark fit, then sent me off for a test ride.  Wow, what a difference a proper fit makes.  I actually enjoyed riding it.  I took it back, he tweaked it, sent me off again.  We did this for most of the afternoon.  Tweak, ride, tweak, ride.  Poor MaxBabe had given me a lift there and was waiting in the car.  I had no idea we'd be so long and she was understandably cranky.  So I told John I'd run out of time, and asked if I could return the next day to continue.  He was OK with that, so the next day I returned (minus MaxBabe).

He spent literally the entire day with me.  I was there from opening until after close.  He put the bike on a trainer and measured, tweaked, adjusted.  He replaced the stem.  He raised the saddle.  He adjusted this, that and the other.  Every time he tweaked it, the bike felt better.  On the final test ride, the bike was so well-adjusted that it felt like a completely different bike.  I felt like I could ride super-aggressively.  It was nimble, it was quick, it was agile.  It was all of the things it had not been on the very first test ride.  I was sold.

Then we fitted the bike out with a rack and panniers.  I'd already decided I wanted a Topeak rack.  The Topeak racks have a slot in the middle that can take Topeak's bags that have a proprietary locking mechanism.  They can also take regular panniers etc, so it makes them a bit more versatile than other racks.  With that decided, the next question was which pannier to buy.  I was tossing up between the Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers, and a few other Ortlieb and Arkel models.  Each has its merits.  Ultimately, we figured the only way to decide was to take my regular carrying load and to try to fit it into a pannier.  John had been very enthusiastic about the Ortlieb Back Packer and Sport Packer models.  He liked that they have a fliptop lid and a drawstring.  For me, the super-important thing was that the pannier had to be absolutely waterproof.

I'd decided that I wanted to be able to put my regular backpack straight into the pannier.  The reason for this was that I wanted all my stuff to stay organised, and I didn't want to have to move things from one bag to another depending on whether I was riding or driving to work.  So the test was whether the backpack would fit into the Back Packer.  It didn't.  Then we tried the Back Roller Classic.  It went straight in.

So I decided on the Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers.  I didn't end up looking at the Arkels, despite having been very enthusiastic about them originally.  The Ortliebs are waterproof and can carry all my crap.  What more could a girl want?  Actually, there's a couple things I wish the Back Rollers did have.  One:  A loop to attach a blinky.  What is it with bicycle bag manufacturers who omit this obvious safety device?  Also, I do miss having a pocket here or there to organise things in the pannier.  I'd like somewhere to stash things I need to get to quickly - eg my railway pass, my wallet etc.  There is a very small pocket inside, but it's difficult to get to when the pannier is full.  That said, I'm 99% happy with the choice.  If it really turns into a huge problem, I might get an Arkel or a different Ortlieb and just mix and match.

John installed it all, I paid him, and off I went.  Despite the rocky start with Epic, I really cannot say enough good things about their service.  They've always looked after me, long before I bought the bike from them.  John was super-helpful last weekend, and really made sure I was happy with the bike and various bits and pieces.  Actually, the service was phenomenal.  If you're in Brisbane and ever have a need for a new bike or just bike parts or clothes or accessories or whatever.. go see Epic.

The following Tuesday, I had business in town and it was the perfect test of the new bike.  I met up with my sometime-commute-buddy, Steve, and we rode in together.  The panniers were fully loaded - backpack full of my regular stuff in one pannier, and toiletries, change of clothes, shoes and other miscellany in the other pannier.  It all fit perfectly without having to be inventive, and I loved not having to carry all of that crap jammed into a backpack on my back!

The Apex groupset is just grand.  The 32-tooth cog at the back really made a mockery of the hills on my commute.  Even with the extra load of the (somewhat) heavier bike, the rack and the fully loaded panniers.  It was actually easier than doing those same hills on my Cannondale, unloaded.  Awesome!

The next day, I rode back with all of that stuff, plus two huge printed binders.  It was a much tougher ride due to the weight of the binders, but even then, the hills didn't defeat me.  I'm just stoked with the way things have turned out.

So this is the part of the post where I put a bunch of pictures that will make bike enthusiasts drool, and regular people roll their eyes:

Behold the Apex 32-tooth goodness!!  Behold also the crud that is already on the chain!

Marvel at the Macgyver magnificence!  Behold the ingenuity of finding somewhere, anywhere, to mount a mini-pump!

One of the Ortliebs attached:

Rear view.  Gee, I hope there are enough lights on the back of the bike.  My greatest fear is getting rear-ended by a tired, inattentive driver.

 

So there you have it!  Max has a new bike!