Yesterday was cold, overcast, and windy, so I spent a few hours in the basement tidying up my work area and getting the All Road ready to ride. That meant adjusting the saddle and handlebar height, then installing brake cables and housing. Projects like that always take me longer than I think they should, but it’s now done: I took the bike out for a short spin. It looks a little odd without handlebar tape, but it is rideable. The ride feels smooth and fast, though without a cycle computer it’s hard to tell whether that impression correlates with objective measurements.
The front tire threw up a bunch of sand and gravel as I passed over the thin line that our yard service raked off the lawn in early April, and that the town still hasn’t picked up. That’s a reminder, if I needed one, that fenders are a good idea. The lovely hammered Honjo fenders aren’t pre-drilled, so I’ll have to allot a couple hours to installation, including crimping them where they need to clear the chainstays and fork blades. I don’t want to ride the bike much until that’s done.
Shifting seems OK, though I am not sure about the downtube shifters. I’m used to barcons, which I have on my other long-distance bikes. I’ll give them some time, though. They definitely were easier than barcons to cable up.
I’ll post pictures soon, though now that I have the handlebar height roughly adjusted—slightly below the saddle—the uncut steerer looks ridiculous.
