this morning i took my first ride on a "new-to-me" Trek 1200 and it felt great. rode for 1:25, about 23 miles, which is 2 mph average faster than my previous best on that route and distance. i attribute the increase in speed to:
(1) this bike is the right size for me, what i was riding before was a bit too small and the fit just wasn't right
(2) clipless pedals... i'm glad i went with these right off the bat with this bike, they're awesome and made the climbs MUCH easier
(3) wore spandex for the first time, i hear the spandex is good for about a 1 mph increase, plus my wife says it makes my butt look sexy
what i encountered on the bike trail... 2 small snakes (missed em both, they got off the trail before i could run em over), squirrels, a HUGE rabbit that jumped in front of me at the last second, boy scouts out hiking, and 2 random bee/wasp/yellow-jacket attacks (didn't get stung but still ticked me off)
i was up and riding before my wife was awake so we'll probably go on a more leisurely ride again this afternoon and take the camera along. i'll post some pics up if we do.