Rantings by Nick Buraglio

Even thought I just bought a new one, I really like the idea of not using a car, but instead being able to do day-to-day stuff on a bicycle. There are several reasons I feel this way, the first being that I strongly dislike being in a car. It’s not that comfortable (yes, I’m even talking about luxury cars), they’re expensive, gas prices are out-freakin-rageous, and the excercise you get on a bike is good for you. Not to mention it’s better for the environment.
I ride my bike to work whenever weather permits, I think more people should do the same. I think that the guys over at Xtracycle have a novel idea. An SUB, sport utility bicycle. They’re ugly, but they look like they could work well for for carrying around day-to-day stuff.

Well, I finally got the new road bike that I had been selling all my stuff off to get. It was a long process, dealing with Bianchi sending the wrong bike, Bikeworks getting enough time to assemble it, getting it home, getting clipless shoes (expensive!!) etc, etc. But it’s finally here and I must say, it’s FAST. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Trek 7300FX, I ride it to work whenever weather and work permits, but this is a road bike, and it’s quite a different experience. It’s almost like comparing apples to oranges, they’re both fruit but too different to compare. I have had it a week as of today and the weather has been crummy since the day after I got it so I’ve only been on two short rides, but WOW! The clipless pedals make a HUGE difference. The carbon fork and slick campagnolo components don’t hurt either. I can’t wait to take this puppy on a 30+ mile run. I was hoping to ride from Champaign to Clinton tomorrow but the weather doesn’t look like it’ll permit. Maybe next weekend.

I did the Sullivan, IL Triathlon this sunday (4/30/06). It was REALLY windy with gusts of up to 37mph, which really sucked for the bike ride. I was hoping to ride my new Bianchi but it wasn’t done yet. I did ok, my knees were burning up so I didn’t time as well as I’d hoped but still finished with a respectable time (especially for someone who barely trained). Detals can be found here.

I also bought a new car last week (it’s been a busy week). The old Beretta that I inherited from Rebecca was having some fairly serious problems so we decided to get me a new car. I was on the fence regarding what exactly to buy, I knew I wanted a subaru but didn’t know which one. I wanted something with room to haul stuff but the forester seemed just a little too big and the Outback seemed too much like a wagon. The Imprezia was attractive but a little too small so I drove an imprezia outback sport and it was perfect. Small, good gas mileage, but lots of room. Pics can be found here.