In the beginning

It was March of 2006 and I was shopping for a bicycle.   I really didn't know much about bikes or cycling at the time but was all set to get a bike I could comute to work on.   So I went down to my local bike shop Rivercity Cycle. I had previously checked out a few bikes there and for some reason came to the conclusion that I needed to buy a Bianchi.  Originally I was interested in the Castro Valley but didn’t like it as it had fenders and a front dyno hub!  Certainly neither of those were very cool and I wanted something fast!   So I went with the Volpe which the salesman told me was the same frame as the Castro Valley but it would be faster!  I had never even ridden a 10-speed style bike before and had no idea where to put my hands on the handlebars, having graduated from my Schwinn Cruiser to a mountain bike.   So after going for a brief test ride along the East Bank Esplanade I was convinced.  I went back to the shop and placed an order for a bike.  Within a week or two my new bike arrived at the shop and I was told it was ready to go.  So I went down and picked it up.  They also set me up with a helmet and a pair of shoes!  Now shoes are kind of a big deal for me.  You see, I don’t have easy feet to fit being they are size 52 euro or size 16 for all those of us on the western side of the pond.  When the sales guy brought out 3 different pairs I was blown away!  Usually when I buy one pair of shoes, I buy whatever I can find as I generally don’t find size 16s at the local store.  So anyway, they sold me a pair of Sidis and I was out the door.  I think total cost for the bike, shoes and helmet was about $1000 during their March sales event.  And thus began my love/hate relationship with my Gang Green Bianchi Volpe.