And as my ancient Kona Hahanna rides off into the sunset, say hello to the Giant Seek. It’s a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, with a mountain bike-style frame and a flat bar, but skinny slick tires:
The “3” in the name indicates that it’s the bottom of the range. Giant’s top-level bike of each model is “0” and they count from there. Not the end of the world: the Hahanna was the bottom end of the Kona line, and see how that turned out! $629 plus tax.
I picked it up this afternoon with Miranda, and then the next hour and a half was spent moving accessories from my old bike to the new:
- Headlight
- Front and back blinky lights
- Mirror
- Bike lock & mount
- Seat
- Water bottle cage
Because the wheels are larger (29″ vs. 26″) and skinnier, the old fenders couldn’t make the trip, so I got new ones. The only oversight at the moment is a kickstand: because the new bike has a rear disc brake, the old kickstand can’t be mounted. I’ll have to see what options are available. The biggest headache was mounting the mirror.
Riding it feels weird: it is very much more upright than my old bike. That will be good on my wrists, but we’ll see how much fun it is riding into a headwind. 🙂 I feel like a “giant” on it.
Updated
Here’s a picture of me giving it a test ride:
Further Update
Well, just because it’s a new bike doesn’t make me any faster. I did the same ride this morning as I have the previous two mornings as a test. I didn’t try going any faster than usual, just went at what I thought my usual pace was. And guess what? It took me exactly as long as my ride on Thursday, and I was slightly slower than I was on my broken bike yesterday. 😮 I think I might have been somewhat upset yesterday… That type of emotion seems to make me go faster.
My other note from this morning is that I need to transfer my mud flap from my old bike. It wasn’t raining when I left, but it was wet from the rain last night, and it was raining by the time I got home. My feet, legs, and lower parts of the bike were much dirtier than usual, which I attribute to the lack of a flap on the front fender. Might not be fashionable, but I ride in all weather. 🙂
Yet another further update
I have transferred the bar ends from the Kona: using a straight bar without the ability to change hand positions on a long ride hurts my right wrist. Now the transformation is complete. The Giant is the successor.
Beyond updating and well into ridiculousness
A kickstand solution has been found. Apparently Giant makes a kickstand specifically for this bike model, due to the problems I outlined. They have a pair of threaded holes to mount it on, as well:
Picked up for $16 + tax and installed in minutes.
Looks great! Never a dull moment with you guys, is there? …Happy trails!
I have dropped off my old Kona with Roger from the Sooke Rotary. He fixes the donated bikes up and they have an auction once a year. This year there were 33 bikes, and they made $2200 from the sales.
I hope someone is happy with my old bike.