How Sweeeeeet (and stupid) It Is

So, for those of you who may have been wondering: Would he go out in 16 degree weather (no wind, really) while there is still plenty of ice and even mounds of snow on the trail, and not only go out but take out his new Fuji Absolute LX in those conditions? The answer is yes. How Sweeeeeeeet it was. And, yes, probably, how stupid. The trail was really in bad shape. Lots of bumpy ice, some smooth ice, and as I mentioned, areas that really could have used a plow where I was riding over an inch or so of hard snow. Good conditions for my very beloved mountain style bike, the Trek Navigator that came home with me all tuned up yesterday. But I couldn't resist trying the new bike for what might be the last time before I leave for Arizona without it. I love it. Slowly but surely, through hesitation and experimentation, we've gone through bikes until we've reached what should have been our first and original purchase given how and where we ride. It is so light; I covered so much more ground so much more easily and while I couldn't, because of conditions, really air her out and see how much faster I can travel, get this: I left the house at 5:45 which is 5 minutes later than I should have; I had to wait for a train to cross the tracks, but because it was moving at a good clip I didn't take an alternate route, so lost close to five minutes; I had to go really slowly in many spots because of conditions, and I returned home at 7:08, only a minute or two later than if I had ridden the Navigator without interruptions. I can only suspect that in good conditions I'd have been home a good 15-20 minutes early, which should translate into being able to use those minutes to ride further and faster. I know there are much more high end bikes, lighter, faster, better components, etc. But this is a good quality bike that does precisely what I want to be able to do. I'm very happy!