FEDEXGUY brought my new Park workstand yesterday afternoon. I got the PCS-10 from Amazon. 15 years ago I had many Park tools, including their big workstand, but when I moved to Hawaii I gave all that stuff away, thinking I would not be riding again. Was I wrong!

The new workstand is not as esthetically appealling as the old model, which had a kind of robotic allure (you'd pick it up and the legs would dangle and move around, seemingly of their own volition, sort of like a robot whose battery has gone dead.) New one does the job, however.

So I got to examine the Corsa up close and personal. The bike has a "chain watcher" device (called a "dog fang") mounted on the seatpost. It is black, and I noticed a tiny spot of something brown stuck to it. This caught my attention, since it was a peculiar shade of brown that doesn't match any grease or road debris around here. I dampened a paper towel and wiped it off, and smelled the distinct aroma of . . . CHOCOLATE! This is really funny, because it is impossible for the bike to have encountered chocolate since the shipping box has been opened--that means that one of the "skilled Italian craftsmen" was eating a candy bar as he "lovingly assembled the bike with his skillful hands" (or whatever the sales pitch says along those lines). So I picture this Italian guy assembling bikes, eating a candy bar, and his buddy on the next bike over tells a joke (maybe about ethnic Americans) and the guy guffaws all over my Corsa!

I LIED about the derailleurs not needing adjustment. They are way out of whack when I watch the operation up close in the workstand--I guess they just seemed ok when I was trial-riding yesterday because with 10 gears on the sprocket you're bound to hit something . . . Of particular concern is the front derail which I didn't even use yesterday.

I have no previous experience with "flight deck shifters" and frankly I don't like them so far. For one thing, you can't tell what gear you're in--even the cheapo grip-shifters on my beater at least tell you where you're at! The flite deck shifters have been the weapon of choice of the big boys for a long time now, so I suppose the response is something like: "REAL MEN ALWAYS KNOW WHAT GEAR THEY'RE IN". I read on another thread somewhere that the new(er) cheapo Sora shifters show you where you are and have a thumb button instead of the inside brake lever. Something to consider . . .

On sizing--I am about 5'10" tall. I have a 31" inseam and wear a 33" long sleeve shirt. Right out of the box, this bike seems too big for me! And to think that I almost got the Large! The Standover height is ok, maybe even a little low, but the reach seems excessive, which is why I'me having difficulties with the shifters.

Got to go now--more on this later--

Java, congrats--I know your excitement--It'll be great to compare notes--maybe you can help clear up some of the stuff I'm hazy about . . .