Today is a glorious bike day for two reasons.
One, it’s the first time I’ve been on a bike in a week and a half, due to my flu. I’m still coughing, but I’m feeling pretty decent otherwise, so I decided that I was ready. I managed to ride two miles at a decent clip without collapsing coughing, and I feel pretty good now, afterward.
Two, today was the day to pick up my new Terry Madeleine at Mike’s Bikes! They called on Wednesday, but I wasn’t really well enough to ride until today anyway, and it’s easier to get there if I don’t try to hurry and go after work. They were nice enough to put some pedals on for me (the bike does not come with any) and help me adjust the seat height (I foolishly didn’t bring my multi-tool).
I love my new bike so far, and I’m almost sure I’ll keep it. (Terry allows you to test-ride for two weeks before you decide for sure, but apparently they are not joking when they say love at first ride!) It feels almost perfect. It’s light but sturdy, with responsive but not twitchy steering. The ride is a lot smoother than I expected for an all-aluminum bike — I have to say that I think the gals at Terry really know what they are doing in the construction of these bikes.
I was surprised to see that it has road-style sidepull caliper brakes rather than touring/commuter-style cantilever or linear-pull brakes, so that it won’t take the kind of full fender install I have on my current commuter. However, the literature for it says that there is enough space for fenders, so I’ll have to see what exactly that means. There is a bit more clearance than on my LeMond. At any rate, the braking feels solid and smooth. Shifting is not as smooth as on my LeMond, but it shifts without any trouble.
Looking at the two bikes (Maia and the Madeleine, who I plan to name either Meg or Manisha) side by side is very interesting. The Terry has a completely flat top tube, and is a bit taller in back (at the standover) for that reason, but I can still stand over it easily in shoes. They’re otherwise almost identical in size and length, with the Terry being just a tad longer and taller (0.5-1″). The frame style of the Terry is more traditional, without the aero-shaping of the carbon areas on the LeMond, and the gearing is a bit smaller. I felt really comfortable riding the Terry and not stretched at all, though getting on and off smoothly is a little harder because of the slightly taller profile.
The one problem I did find is that the Terry uses a handlebar called the Salsa Moto Ace Short & Shallow. On examination compared to the Bontrager, you can see that the angle on the turn outward to the hoods is a little obtuse rather than 90 degrees, and I really felt that when I was riding with hands in this position. It doesn’t interfere with braking, but I can’t ride long with my hands curved like that, so it’s very likely I’ll have to change the handlebars for the Bontrager that I have on my LeMond. And I plan to try to slide the seat forward a bit, because I felt that I kept sliding off it a little.
Other things I plan to do once I decide for sure to keep it:
– Install a rack & fenders
– Put a generator headlight & battery taillight on
– Possibly buy Pedalite pedals for it, or else decide whether to put on standard pedals or SPDs
I’m so excited!!! A true touring bike at last.