Wandering on the Nomade (Comments: 3)

I took the Nomade out for its inaugural ride today. My friend and fellow union organizer Paul Ciavarri came over and we rode about 13 miles on the Canalway Trail. Paul was riding a Columbia just a few years more recent than my Motobecane.

This is my first real road bike. I’ve been riding the Giant Tank DX for a few months now, and before that I had another hybrid. When I lived in Japan, I had a single-speed bike that I mostly used for getting back and forth to the train station. Unlike all those bikes, the Nomade is light and fast. Now I know all you real road bike riders are snickering, but to me, this 25-year-old steel machine feels like a lighting bolt compared to my previous riding experiences. I barely even shifted gears on the ride today, and Paul and I talked the entire time in 90-degree heat with very little fatigue. I was amazed.

It’s also nice to ride a bike that gives you repeated opportunities for feeling successful — every time I shift those stem-mounted levers without grinding the gears, I feel like I’m in le Tour.

Later this evening, I rode the Nomade in the rain over to the Dryden Theatre to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen. A futuristic end to a relaxing day.

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