Return Of The Beast

Last Sunday I got a flat on the Italian Girl.


I got around to fixing it with a patched tube a few hours before my Saturday softball game. An hour before the game the tire was flat again. I don't know if the patch was not good enough or if there's another problem going on. So I jumped in the car and headed to softball.

Not having another tube this morning I had to decide how I was going to get to softball. I decided to try The Beast.


She's on the top rack.

I took the tire pump and the Allen wrenches down to the storage locker and tune her up. The tires stayed inflated. the brakes were fine once adjusted. The saddle didn't want to stay well adjusted but was serviceable.

But, oh, she rides so differently than the Italian girl. It's the difference between a Ferrari and Lamborghini.

This Ferraii


and this Lamborghini


The Beast is slow and cumbersome. The brakes work for what she is but it takes a lot longer to stop. And the effort to move her! I was riding next to a teammate to the sponsor bar when a car came up behind us. I decided to pull in front of him. So I peddled. Then some more. And a little more. And once again. Shit, what's taking so long?!?

I won't say riding her is exactly tiring but moving The Beast's bulk certainly takes measurably more effort than the Italian Girl.

I went to turn the corner from Wellington onto Ashland and weaved way out into the car lane. No one was coming which was fortuitous but The Beast certainly can't corner like the Italian Girl.