goodbye to a dear friend

A eulogy for my first road bike, this Rocky Mtn Solo. Bought in 2010 from David Beggs when he operated Cycle Therapy in his garage on his property, he kitted me out on my first curly barred bike, skinny tires and bibbed cycling shorts. I remember feeling silly as he did one of his first bike fittings, with lasers and goniometers. And then the feeling of speed. Of cycling 40kph on the flats in a peloton. I was hooked. 

The versatility of this bike is obvious. Technically a cyclecross bike, it handled gravel and mud, bike panniers and heavy loads. It has been my main means of commuting year round on Haida Gwaii. A true friend. And it is showing its wear. The bottom bracket creaks with every turn of the pedals. The frame is corroding. The front derailleur is seized. The rear derailleur was damaged in a crash a few days ago and can only access gears 4-10. The left shifter is falling apart. The brakes need an overhaul. Time to say goodbye. 

Aluminum corrosion! Just like the boats on Haida Gwaii. Needs zincs!

Zig zag derailleur. The hanger is toast too

Was an Ultegra shifter with pieces missing

Saddle blow out!

Burns Lake riding decal

Free to a good home

So, the bike was not worth the hassle of getting it home. I removed the pedals, said my goodbyes. Cleaned the frame and wheels up. It was left with a note taped to the top tube: 
Livre para uma boa casa. Precisa de pedais.
Free to a good home. Needs pedals. 

Farewell old friend. And thanks to David Beggs for getting me into road biking in the first place. Moving on to a new gravel bike: Cannondale Topstone. Feels disloyal to be already mentioning the new bike. But hey, I'm on the rebound and looking to recover!