Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Can't get comfortable


XO-3 Setup
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops
I bought a Bridgestone XO-3 off ebay, and was pretty happy with it when it arrived. It's got a ton of clearance for wide tires and fenders, it's a good size for me, has a good handlebar and stem setup, and was built up as a single speed bike for ease of use and maintenance.

And so for the last few weeks I've been commuting on it, and something is just off on it. For some reason, it just feels super slow. I don't know if it's the tires I have on it - thick knobbies, the heavy wheelset, the heavy frame, or just a geometry that's poorly suited for power.

I'm going to try a few easily replaced things, like swifter tires, and see if that gets rid of the slow bike blues. I don't expect it to ever overtake my Fuji in terms of speed and agility, but I don't want to sweat my butt off to go a reasonable speed, either.

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