I brought with me a "new bike" as well: An old Schwinn that T.J. forced me to take off his hands. The bottom bracket was destroyed and so I replaced it as soon as I got into the shop.
I'm not totally sure why I decided to ride this crappy bike (with platform pedals and Vans sneakers) on the Turbo Tuesday ride, but I was really excited about it. We ended up doing a bit over 30 miles that night, on both pavement and gravel. Contrary to what many cyclists would expect, nothing terrible happened while riding the Old Schwinn (aside from getting a flat, which I attribute to a cheap innertube), nothing fell off the bike, and I didn't finish the ride in a world of pain. I was actually extremely comfortable the entire time and the bike kept up in speed with everyone else.
To be completely honest, I really enjoyed spending the night on the Old Schwinn. Maybe it's the idea of doing a ride of decent length on a bike that I would have previously resisted at all costs that interests me... Or maybe it's being able to prove that you don't need an expensive/high end bike equipped with the latest technology to go on a group ride and have fun out on the country roads... Maybe it's just the simplicity of the old outdated technology that appeals to me... Or maybe after being constantly exposed to fancy modern bikes, riding this Schwinn just furnishes me with humor. Either way, it was a good ride.
Also, Ross's Spacehore is a badass bike, and I'm really glad he decided to order one up.
Gumby's Naples, Florida jersey is awesome too. I think Hellmutt will appreciate it.
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