Again, thank you for the kind words, and concerns. I was/am a little worried about my knees, but I luckily so far, I have been good. No persisting aches or pains in the knees, or even my legs for that matter. I still try to avoid huge hills, but am not afraid to attack a nice gradual climb that I can still get a spin on.
As for my fuji set up, well that bike is gone...hehe. I traded the whole bike, for a kick ass 1987 schwinn circuit with columbus tubing (frame fork and headset). Totally in my shops favor, but I didn't care. Its Nice and light, and now that its fixed, it is getting 100% of my riding time. I love that bike now. I have some drops on there now, that I almost always ride in the drops on, and the whole package is just really comfortable for me.
I do have 2 geared mtn bikes though. One is strictly for the mtn. The other, I am planning on either turning into a bit of a hybrid with 700c wheels or turning into a ss for the mtn. I just love the simplicity of one gear.
Again, thank you for the concern. I hope to stay healthy, and continue to stay in the saddle for as long as possible. I am glad to hear that I can be an inspiration to someone, that makes me feel good. If I can offer any tips or suggestions, its to stay motivated and keep your eye on the goal. There are plenty of things to knock you off track, but its up to you to stick with it. How bad do you want to achieve that goal is up to you. Just don't kill yourself doing it.
I will update again soon. Turkey day is coming up, but that also means a lot of time off to go riding. Plus an alleycat race I plan on entering. ;-)