I joined this forum today....read a bunch of stuff...and then and went and bought a new bike. I've been riding for years on and off. I had a Norco road bike in the 80's and would ride a couple hundred of km's a week. Then I had kids... and then I started commuting to work on a Kona Blast. I also did a 400 km trip on the Kettle Valley Railway just before I turned 40...which wasn't last week

I'm pretty tall, and the Kona never really fit me, and as I got older it hurt more.... and it's worn out.

I wanted to get the perfect bike. The bike that would do everything. Daily commute, credit card touring, and go chase my son on his carbon road bike. I thought about getting a Masi Evoluzione but was told it would break down too soon with commuting in all the rain we have where I live. So I bought a 2013 Masi Gran Criterium. Apparently the steel cassette will last longer in the rain and grit of a daily city commute. And it will take the panniers that I need to take to work everyday. My laptop is in my backpack, change of clothes, rain gear, and lunch in the panniers, so I couldn't just use a backpack. The only compromise I see with this bike is the ability to keep up with a race style bike...but I determined that going fast was third on the list of commute, comfort, and credit card touring.

I've been looking for a new bike for months.... It's nice to finally get one.

I had to google what N + 1 was, as I saw it all the time on here. Now I know! Maybe I'll still want that Evoluzione too!!

This is the bike I bought today.