hail pista!

so I took off from work at about 3:45 on friday. everyone knew that I was cutting out early to pick up the 05 bianchi pista... I got home, changed, drove that plastic car to the store.

the bike store dude behind the counter knew exactly what I was there for when he looked up and said "bianchi?". I said "si".

he'd already taken the 59 cent. off the wall and had it waiting. I had a short list of enhancements: swap out the clipless pedals (pocket those for el scorpio)... replace white handlebar tape with black tape... add a (temporary) front brake... lose the freewheel and convert to a fixed gear.

I also got another back light for my bag. this one's got a (((disco))) setting.

in total, I paid $20 of my own dollars for this bike, the rest was paid for by money that fell out of the sky.

it was one of the only times in my life where I've walked into a store knowing exactly what I wanted, had the money to pay for it ("paid off"), and then walked out with it. I called my dad to tell him about it... I told my friend Tom - a Chicago cop - about it later that night, and he handed me a Heinken, toasted me and said "you've made it."

I wheeled the pista out the door and caught a pedal rub against my leg. reminder: pedals always move when wheels move.

the bike doesn't have easy release wheels or seat (and no tool in the car), and I wanted to get a ride in, so I rode the bike the 2 or 3 miles back to my place. it took some getting used to, but it was all totally in my head. my mind was preoccupied with the fear "how do I properly and successfully stop with all of this traffic around?" it caused me some unecessary worry.

it's a polished chrome finish, which is hot. this bike is flashier than my style. I looked at it for a bit and wondered if it was too flash, but decided "fuck it. this bike is hot."

some friends came over, stared at the bike. we went out late. we got up early and scored tickets to queens of the stone age in early april at the vic (same venue as the ween show) around 10 a.m. afterwards, I spent the day riding to friends' places to show off the bike and get used to the fixed gear.

believe it or not, traffic isn't a worry to me because I'm used to it. there's so many cars, that most of the time they're stuck at lights in traffic or slow moving... it's the asshole that decides to pull into the right lane (so that he can tear ahead of the lead car when the light changes) that you have to be wary of. It's usually an SUV (male/female driver,.. doesn't matter). This city breeds fuckers like this. I've just been getting used to the fixed gear. There's no coasting.

the bike is super light, and it's cool because as soon as you step on the pedal you're moving immediately. it's super easy to get a good speed of 15 mph (or so) very quickly, like within a few feet.. and the ride is solid. bike/body = one vehicle.

the bike speeds up quickly, will slow quicker once I'm used to the pedals, and cuts super clean. I also squeezed through some tight spots that I may have waited on with el scorpio.

I don't really like the handlebars I've got right now. I think that it's tough to find a comfortable grip for long term grip. I already decided on a different handlebar after I decided that I don't need the brake anymore.