'Ruby'

2 weeks ago I had ridden out to Winters, and was hanging my Dolce at Steady Eddies, when I glanced at my head tube. Then I stared at the head tube. Cracks. Two of them. From the bottom there was a 2 inch long fracture, reaching up towards a 1 inch fracture on the top. YIKES!!! A few visions of catastrophic collapses on the road danced in my head as my mouth chewed on yet another excellent Sausage Breakfast Panini cooked by Diane. (Diane is a might more generous at the grill than Eddie...) Of course, since my ~$1100 steed is aluminum, I reasoned it would indeed get me home. I rode straight to Wheelworks, where I had purchased it 3 years earlier.

However, Wheelworks had steadily gone through it's own transformation in the last 2 years, and is now filled with carbon and geared for racers. And in the translation, Specialized had recently rescinded their contract since Wheelworks now looks down their racing noses at lower end bikes: ie...mine. They sent me to Ken's.

Ken's I never loved, ever since a mtb clueless young man tried to convince me that the Fuji Ace I tried was a Women's Design bike that didn't fit my Women's sized body. They did, however, have first class wrenches that took care of the tandem problems of my ill-fated Texan venture. But I regress... at Ken's I spoke to Joe#1 (Joe at Wheelworks, demoted to Joe#2) and he almost snorted when I told him what Wheelworks told me. Apparently Wheelworks could have handled it for me, since their contract with Specialized hadn't quite ended yet. Their business dealings with Specialized was yet brand new, no experience yet on the 'lifetime warranty of frames' - mine would be the first. Joe#1 wrote out the ticket, took my bike, said he would let me know more when he did. I left without wheels.

2 weeks later: Within days, Joe#1 called. Not only were they replacing my frame, they were replacing it with a carbon frame, called a Ruby. Charge to move over the components. Okay. Midweek, they call and say it's ready.

OMG!! The bike is GORGEOUS!! It's a deep red Rubypro!! We're talking a list price $3900 level bike frame!! The wrench was kinda bored 'Can I help you,' then found out I was the one getting a new frame, then he got excited about it. First he brought out the old frame, then rolled out my bike! I think I was adequetely excited, it was BEAUTIFUL!! Then I said,'Well, don't laugh, but I baked you guys cookies!' and he smiled! Said, 'Cookies are never anything to laugh about.' and accepted them. M and M cookies using 1 cup of butter! Still warm from the oven, too.

It's a dream. Put about 70 miles in the last couple of days. Would have put more except the heat in 100+ and I don't get up early. It's fast. Seriously, when I jump out of lights, I would hit maybe 20 mph for the heck of it, and when I played with my Ruby, I hit 25mph with the same amount of pedaling play. 20+ mph on my route isn't so unfamiliar now!

So, I lost Waterhammer, but gained a RubyPro in these last couple of weeks.

I can live with that.