Bike Tourist
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Posts: 569 |
 Waiting Makes You Crazy
Warning: The following has resulted from my anticipation of a new Gold Rush, traversing the factory floor (I hope) even as I write. I specified a non-standard color. As punishment, I have to wait while a bare frame is shipped to the heat treaters, returned from the heat treaters, painted, dried, fitted with components and, finally, shipped. It's only two or three hundred miles from Watsonville to Bakersfield. But with my luck it will be shipped around the horn by boat, routed by rail from New Jersey to San Francisco, then trucked to Bakersfield. I hope I'm wrong.
In the interim, I have mucho time to consider just how I want it set up. As a result I have phoned Denton several times, changing this, changing that. I've had two Tour Easys and two Gold Rushes over the past 16 or 17 years. This qualifies me to second guess myself while straining my failing memory. Denton still takes my calls — a good sign.
My last Gold Rush was orange. It was orange because before that I had an orange Challenge Concept trike. I couldn't exist with the trike but I loved the orange color. My new GRR will also be orange. If it was the carbon fiber model I could call it the Orange Crush, but I'm sure someone has already done that.
My GRR will be an EX model. As an old man who takes corners too fast I like a fat tire on the lightly loaded front wheel. The cranks will be 175mm, the chainwheels 50-39-26 and the rear end 11-34 — gear down and rev up for hills. Up front will be a tinted Zzipper which, in my opinion, should be standard equipment. Plastic Planet Bike fenders, front and rear, will be eventually exchanged for carbon fiber ones as soon as my winning lottery ticket shows up.
I have an orange Bike helmet and orange Euskatel Team water bottles. I know where to get orange valve caps on eBay. It's unbelievable how hard it is to get orange bicycle accessories. The water bottle cages are procured and waiting to be installed. They are a sort of Chinese red — close enough. Also ready to go is a new road mini-pump which will be installed under the RH water bottle bracket, thereby ballancing the LH rearview mirror (you see, I think of everything).
For now, I will use an existing handlebar bag mounted on the rear horizontal seat brace. That will suffice for now. That's an area with lots of potential for innovation. By winter I will need to shop for lights, assuming the bike arrives by then.
That's about it. As you can see, waiting makes you crazy!
__________________
Dick Thornton
New Orange Gold Rush EX
+ a Diamondback Insight 1
Bakersfield, CA
bike_tourist@yahoo.com
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/dire...ckthornton&v=1s
Last edited by Bike Tourist on 07-27-2012 at 08:11 PM
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07-27-2012 07:47 PM
