Originally Posted by winston63

Here's a couple.

Like mstraus mine is a stock AWOL comp, but I've added front & rear racks & fenders. These were taken last week on my maiden voyage right after taking possession of the bike.

Yesterday I went back to try a different saddle - the stock saddle definitely didn't work for my anatomy! I'm trying out a Specialized Toupe and so far it seems to be a much better fit.



I love the ride - it's much more forgiving on wooden bridges and gravel than my Kona. It's much slower, too, but that's OK, I'm having so much fun riding it that I don't care too much about that.

It's a pretty heavy bike, but it feels very stable, the disc brakes are excellent and will really be appreciated on the many rainy days we get here.

I'm still getting used to the SRAM shifters as I'm used to the 105s on my Kona, but the difference isn't really causing me any issues. What is taking some getting used to are the larger gear jumps on the Apex cassette. I could see that being annoying if someone primarily rides on flat terrain. I'm almost always climbing or descending so the range is welcome, but still, surprises me a bit sometimes.

All told, I love the bike - my commute is short, about 4 km but this morning I got up a bit early and added a nice loop down to the ocean before heading into work. That made it about a 17 km ride and I found myself wanting more!