I'm still jet-lagged.
I'm not surprised that I'm still jet-lagged, but as far as I can tell that's the major news item for the day. Other than that, the other Fulbrighters are trickling in, and this afternoon there was a poolside mini-reception. There was sangria, beer, soft drinks, and absolutely nothing to eat. The dorm feeds us really large meals, but I was surprised at the total lack of fat or non-alcohol-containing carbs at an alcohol-based reception.
My big accomplishment today consisted of dropping the Surly frame and fork off to be built up. I had gone to the cycling department of the Corte Inglés yesterday (which I imagine differs from the American department-store bike shop in the fact that there is a mechanic there, and there are some Orbeas that are almost 2,000EUR for the frame alone.) The guy there tried to dissuade me from ever building up a steel frame. Eh.
So today I go to Ciclos Delicias (a great name for a bike shop, I think; it's located on Paseo de las Delicias, so the name is a byproduct of the street, but I like the name anyway.) The guy there doesn't want to do drop handlebars, and can't do barend shifters, so I'm getting a straight handlebar with extensions, and all Alivio components. Bike shop guy was convinced that I was crazy for wanting bar end shifters, and stated pretty explicitly that only an American would dream of such a thing in this day and age.
I would have gone for nicer components, too, but I figure that the thing'll take a beating in Morocco. Maybe. I don't know. I also should have brought the Terry saddle off of the Giant, but at the time I couldn't find the right tool for the job, and so I am saddle-less and have to get a new one. And, at the last minute, I left the panniers at home. I'll get cheapies here.
Fulbright orientation stuff officially starts tomorrow, and I should get some sleep.
I'm not surprised that I'm still jet-lagged, but as far as I can tell that's the major news item for the day. Other than that, the other Fulbrighters are trickling in, and this afternoon there was a poolside mini-reception. There was sangria, beer, soft drinks, and absolutely nothing to eat. The dorm feeds us really large meals, but I was surprised at the total lack of fat or non-alcohol-containing carbs at an alcohol-based reception.
My big accomplishment today consisted of dropping the Surly frame and fork off to be built up. I had gone to the cycling department of the Corte Inglés yesterday (which I imagine differs from the American department-store bike shop in the fact that there is a mechanic there, and there are some Orbeas that are almost 2,000EUR for the frame alone.) The guy there tried to dissuade me from ever building up a steel frame. Eh.
So today I go to Ciclos Delicias (a great name for a bike shop, I think; it's located on Paseo de las Delicias, so the name is a byproduct of the street, but I like the name anyway.) The guy there doesn't want to do drop handlebars, and can't do barend shifters, so I'm getting a straight handlebar with extensions, and all Alivio components. Bike shop guy was convinced that I was crazy for wanting bar end shifters, and stated pretty explicitly that only an American would dream of such a thing in this day and age.
I would have gone for nicer components, too, but I figure that the thing'll take a beating in Morocco. Maybe. I don't know. I also should have brought the Terry saddle off of the Giant, but at the time I couldn't find the right tool for the job, and so I am saddle-less and have to get a new one. And, at the last minute, I left the panniers at home. I'll get cheapies here.
Fulbright orientation stuff officially starts tomorrow, and I should get some sleep.
posted by AV at 5:50 PM
3 Comments:
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AV:
If you need any assistance or parts that are hard to find in Spain, let me know and I may be able to do something for ya.
TOm
Thanks, Tom. As of today, the bike's still not ready (as far as I know.) It should be ready by tomorrow (the guy at the bike shop had said the 14th.) I'll have my bike ready before I have a place to live.
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