Ride Report

Cycling is huge here, very much focused on Euro/racing. Everyday on the ride to work we see dozens of cyclists on very nice bikes - the most common of which are carbon Treks with Campagnolo components!?

There is a cyclist at school and I went with him 2 weeks ago to buy a used bike. Tomassini, probably new in the mid-80s. The frame is a bit small for me, but 60cm is as large as they come here. I bought the frame by itself, and then bought parts separately. Unfortunately, due to the racing culture, non-racing parts really aren’t available. I ended up with a Shimano Sora parts group, brifters and all, and an amazingly narrow and uncomfortable saddle. The frame was scratched and ugly (red and yellow always remind me of McDonalds) so I had it painted. The painter is amazing – she has no access to decals, so all of the script and emblems on the bike are painted on. This paint job cost 100,000 pesos – roughly US$50!

My inaugural ride commenced at 5 AM, Thursday morning. Medéllin is nestled in a river valley, and the valley walls rise 1000 meters on both sides. Traffic is amazingly complicated and chaotic in the city, so the only place to go is up. Not something you want to do on your first ride in 2 months, on a double-chainring bike when you are used to a triple. But what do I know?

I was quickly dropped by my riding partners, but managed to settle into a rhythm and crank up the hill. I am remotely familiar with the area, but was not sure how far my companions planned to go. Cars and trucks buzzed by, but they are aware of cyclists here and I felt pretty safe. The major danger to a cyclist is road debris – potholes, large rocks, gravel, and trash litter the shoulders of the road.

I finally caught up to my companions at a scenic overlook (maybe 400m above the valley floor), and soon after we turned off the main road and descended back into the city. As a former bike mechanic who is used to maintaining his own bikes, this was especially scary and it took me a while to trust the brakes. This road was steeper than the one going up, and my brakes quickly began to overheat, so I had to modulate their use while negotiating turns, speed bumps, and the morning’s traffic.

I was back home by 7:00, with enough time for a quick nap before the bus came by to take us to school. Of course, I was reminded of my ride and that exceedingly narrow saddle for the remainder of the day, every time I tried to sit down…

Click on the thumbnails to see details of the bike and its paintjob.