It's back on the road!

After something like six months out of service, I have finally gotten around to reworking the Bacchetta Strada so that I can ride the thing instead of having it sit in the garage all the time.

In September of last year, I was almost home from work, having commuted on the Strada for a change of pace, when the right shifter broke. Since I was within sight of my house, I wasn't too upset--the same part of that shifter had broken before, and I knew what was going to be involved in fixing it. Since most of my club rides get done on the tandem with Jenn, anyway, I didn't feel rushed to get the repair done.

Some years ago, I pondered the idea of converting it from the B-Pivot steering system to the rigid riser found on the Corsa model. I got a blemished fork from Bacchetta at that time, and opted to save it for future use. Somewhere along the way, a friend gave me a Bacchetta handlebar he had bought for one of his projects that got canceled before the bar got used. Using these parts meant switching from the Ergo levers that were part of my Strada from the concept stage to bar-end shifters much like those used by triathletes (and similar to those on our Vanguards). Campy bar-end shifters are not inexpensive, of course, and not always available. I got a set a month or two ago, though, and a set of brake levers that are similar to those found on the Corsa bikes from Bacchetta.

Then it was a matter of carving out the time to do the work. I knew roughly how long it would take me to install all the parts, all the cables, the new cycle computer (the old one being integrated with the shifters), and tune it, and wanted to do most of it in one session. As it turned out, when I started doing actual work, I didn't have all the stuff I needed, so it became three sessions instead.

The first session was installation of the fork and BFT (Bacchetta Fine Tune--their headset pre-load system). Second session was installation of the controls on the new handlebar and cable work on the derailleur systems, as the brake cables I had were right for the old levers not the new ones. I found myself with some extra time on Sunday (see the post about finding the dog's home), so I took advantage of that time and finished with the cockpit work on the Strada.

Then I got to take it out for a ride--its first in over six months. The bike felt GREAT under me.

I also have been firmly reminded that I don't use my quads as much on other bikes as I do on the Strada. I was much slower than I normally would be on that bike. Still, though, it handled well. I like the new control arrangement. It's going to be a fun bike again!