First commute of 2013 was today. Warm and sunny with wet pavement here in Okeechobee, FL. Actually, this is the first commute in several months for me. Early in Sept of last year, my father passed away after a short illness. He was 89 years old and a decorated veteran of WWII and I only saw him every other year or so. But his passing hit me hard, and kind of took away my drive to commute, or do any physical. It took me several months to get past that. Then, I decided that the high bottom bracket on my Bacchetta Giro was causing me some back pain, and went looking for a solution. I found a Bacchetta Belladare, used in Seminole, Florida and bought it. The Belladare is the steel brother of the new Bella, a long wheel base recumbent with a 20" front and 26" rear. This is a sweet ride, with a low bottom bracket height, long soft ride and long legs for a long ride on the weekends. So, I finally got all the parts together, and new shoes, and today was the day. Had a great ride in, traffic was easy, and I had no problems. Glad to back among the cycle commuting community.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL