Roading back this evening in the swiftening dark, it occured to me that I’ve only been riding the Karate Monkey for less than two weeks. Doing the math, I’ve only ridden it on dirt 7 times, 10 rides in total. Some of those have been exemplary, granted, but it’s a tribute I think to Surly that it took me so long to recall (and not just my bad memory for such particulars). In two and a half months on the Soma, I got very used to 29″ wheels, midge bars, disc brakes, and to a much lesser extent the Weirwolves. I was always fighting the frame one way or another. Not so now. Much if it is the longer ETT coupled with a shorter stem. More probably is the shorter wheelbase and much shorter chainstays. I also believe the whole package comes together in a way that is indeed greater than the sum of it’s parts. It’s a “heavy” bike that rides very light, is solid going down and in traffic. I’ll have my work cut out when I put together the head to head in a month; reviews of such things do tend to be just useless.

Extrapolating from all that, the past fortnight has been exceedingly exciting and fulfilling overall. As above, it took a bit of consideration to move back and recall the particulars. Considering that I was sick for two of those days, all the more remarkable. That my sister just called to report that Meredith did not get delayed in O’Hare promises that this week and the next will be an excellent running into 2007 indeed.

I believe that provided I’m not stupid, the cycling and running goals for next year will go over very well indeed.

I know Angelina corrupted my headline, but for aesthetic reasons I can’t get too upset about that.