I GOT A NEW BIKE!!!!!!

Yesterday I called Outspokin' to see if they could get me the same bike I had before. As you may recall, I had a Fuji Cambridge that I had named Syuusuke, after Fuji Syuusuke from Prince of Tennis, and I was planning on naming my new bike Fujiyama, or Yama for short.

However.

Brett from Outspokin' called me back today and said that they didn't have the exact same bike in stock. The Cambridge I'd had was equipped with extra "touring" features, and the ones they had in the store didn't have those. He remarked, however, that Trek (an American company, he was careful to point out) has a new line of bikes with the same scooping frame as the Cambridge, and he had a couple in stock with all the features I'd had on Syuusuke. He suggested I come by and check it out, and if I liked it I could go ahead and get one, and if not we could special order a Cambridge.

So I ran off to Outspokin' immediately (forgetting to clean up my lunch dishes, which apparently caused my in-laws some consternation when they got home) to see the 100.

It looked a lot like the Cambridge, actually. The frame is essentially the same, as are the handlebars and the gearshift. The bell is different, but not bad. (And it does make that lovely ping!, so I can't complain.) The seat is actually a little bigger and more comfortable.

I took it out for a test drive in the neighborhood behind Outspokin', and was easily able to ride no-handed, shift gears, turn, and all those other important things. It was fun and comfortable to ride. I rode it back to the store thinking that the only reason to order a Cambridge would be to indulge in nostalgia...and that wouldn't it be more fair to Syuusuke to not simply replace him with the same model?

And so I decided to get it, and I had the Outspokin' guys load it up with a headlight, blinking tail light, Trek brand odometer, and water bottle holder (I picked a bottle with the Outspokin' logo on it. Why not advertise?). I also picked up a bike lock and an air pump. My bike rack and bike helmet were in the car when the apartment burned down, so I didn't need to replace those. I decided I didn't need a bike bag just yet either, since my new purse is a backpack. So with that, I'm pretty much set.

Outspokin' had two of the 100s in stock. One was black with grey/silver features, and one was a purplish blue with white features. Can you guess which one I picked?

You were wrong!!!! ;D

Somehow, the black and silver bike really appealed to me. It seemed so elegant...and plus, black goes with anything. Totally psyched, I strapped the tricked-out bike to my car and headed home.

It wasn't until I was turning onto Cheryl and Reid's street that I hit upon the perfect name for the bike. Obviously Yama was out--this bike wasn't a Fuji. I couldn't think of a name to derive from "Trek". But then it hit me: the bike is black.

Guess who is revered for his black hair and black eyes?

Yuuri it is :D

(Don't worry. While I may refer to him as "Yuu-chan", I will not put my bike in a dress!)