New horse in the stable

People have been asking to see pictures of the new bicycle. The worst thing about it is that I picked it up earlier this week. And if you've been paying attention to the weather, this week has been nasty. In fact, the day we went down to pick it up, it was sleeting. I got out to ride her for the first time on Wednesday for about 14 miles. Clearly, I need to get used to the different riding position, which will come in time.

Since we've only had one ride, things are still a little stiff and needing to be broken in. I wanted to get a picture before she got too dirty and grimy. They are only brand new clean once. My Trek 7.2 Hybrid will be my commuting and riding around town bike, where this new one will be for fitness, fun and longer bike tours. Performance Bike had them at 40% off. Combine this with a contest gift certificate and my company's generous offer to pay for 60% means that this bike will wind up costing me about $120.

For you bike geeks, it is a Schwinn Le Tour Ultra 1 with a full carbon fiber frame and fork with Shimano 105 shifters, derailleurs, and cassette. It also happens to have in-line brake levers on the top bar; which was unexpected. Yes, I know...it has reflectors on it and dorky clip/platform pedals. But at least it doesn't have a pie plate, so it is immune to goose attacks.

She needs a name. If you can come up with a good name, post it here. Also, I'll take a picture when I don't need to use the flash sometime. Notice my little man in the background admiring her? He loves bikes!