My New Ride!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Univega I had been riding for the last 2 years has developed some major issues.  Its probably correctable, but beyond my skill/confidence level at this time.  I'm also not so sure investing much time and or money in a 20+ year old bike is the best idea, either.  So I talked to my wife and daughter and they agreed to buy me a new bike I had been looking at as a Father's Day present, and a bit early to boot!

Here it is:

Yes. it is a hybrid.  Its a Diamondback Edgewood LX in an XL frame.  It actually arrived on Saturday, but I wasn't able to assemble it until Monday night.  I LOVE IT!  Its great to have a bike that is the right size for me. I have it mostly dialed in, but still have a few more adjustments to make to it.

Here are the stats for the bike from bikepedia.com:

Bicycle Type	Hybrid
MSRP (new)	Unspecified
Weight	Unspecified
Sizes	SM (15"), M (17"), LG (19"), XL (21")
Colors	Burgundy
Item ID	23490

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction	Aluminum
Frame Tubing Material	6061-T6 aluminum
Fork Brand & Model	Sport Comfort Suspension, 63mm travel
Fork Material	Unspecified
Rear Shock	Not applicable

Components
Component Group	Hybrid Mix
Brakeset	Alloy linear brakes, Shimano EF-50 levers
Shift Levers	Shimano EF-51 EZ fire
Front Derailleur	Shimano TX50, 31.8mm top swing dual pull
Rear Derailleur	Shimano TX55
Crankset	SR XCCT208 w/ chainguard, 28/38/48t teeth
Pedals	Avenir Comfort Platform
Bottom Bracket	Cartridge Type
BB Shell Width	Unspecified
Rear Cogs	7-speed, 14 - 34 teeth
Chain	KMC Z51
Seatpost	Alloy Suspension, 27.2mm diameter
Saddle	DB Deluxe Hybrid Double Density Base w/ Coil spring
Handlebar	Steel 50mm rise
Handlebar Extensions	Not included
Handlebar Stem	Alloy Adjustable Quill
Headset	1 1/8" Threaded

Wheels
Hubs	Alloy QR
Rims	SSW700 Double Tunnel Alloy, 32-hole
Tires	700 x 40c Kenda Cross
Spoke Brand	Stainless Steel stainless, 14ga. (2.0mm)
Spoke Nipples	Unspecified

As you can see it does have Shimano components, front suspension and adjustable handlebars.  It also has a suspension seat post which isn't very effective for someone my size.  I may swap that out in the future.

My first real ride was this morning and I was pleased.  At least I was pleased after I put more air in the tires. I had approximated the air pressure Monday evening as my pump with the air gauge was out of order.  The tires were greatly under inflated.  After stopping to put more air into the tires, I was able to crank out 7 miles this morning in 39 minutes.  Not the fastest, but respectable.  I still think I'm under inflating the tires and will do a proper pressure check this evening.

One other tweak I need to make is to adjust the rear deraulier so that it engages the highest gear more efficiently.  There seemed to be a struggle to get to the gear this morning.  I also need to adjust the brakes as I had one that seemed to drag.  Time and adjustments will allow me to dial it in to a very pleasing ride.

One other possible change down the road might be to the rear cassette.  Since I'm going to mostly be staying on the pavement with this bike, I'm thinking I might want to go to an 11-28.  Going to have to give it some time and miles before deciding to pull the trigger on making that change.