This post is dedicated to Klaus. My friend and fellow cycling enthusiast.

I first met Klaus and his family several years ago when they decided to “update” their home and needed an electrician who understood older homes. Over the course of years and different projects our relationship moved from contractor/client to fellow life travelers. It started in the garage when I was changing out the old electrical panel. Like most of us, Klaus and Kerry used their garage to the fullest volume of space allowed by physics. So I had to relocate a few items in order to do my work. In moving some boxes I found a treasure. It was covered in dust and was begging for some attention. I personally at the time had never seen one like it so I had to investigate, so I went to the source.

When I asked Klaus about my find, his eyes glowed a bit in remembrance of days long past. We spent the next couple of hours talking about his bicycle touring of Europe in his younger days. The “find” was his Trek 520 touring bike with all of the accoutrements of a bike built to carry heavy loads up steep hills and long days. He showed me pictures of old glory days in touring shorts with his mates as they biked around the continent and the British Isles. He loved to regale me with all of the details that he had installed on his bike. I enjoyed listening to his stories and started dreaming of the places he had seen and the routes he had taken. He didn’t know he what had started in those conversations.

I grew up riding a bike. In the 60’s and 70’s of my youth, a bike was how we got anywhere. It gave us freedom. An escape from the seemingly endless list of chores in a family of 7. So I rode. Never really thought about it. Just something to do with my mates. We also knew who was where because of the bikes on the front lawn. No texts, emails, Snapchats, Facebook posts. Just follow the bikes. But one thing I had never thought of, was riding someplace to spend the night and then moving on from there to the next place and the next place and so on until it was time to come home. I remember meeting some hippies in the mountains once who were riding across the country trying to “find themselves”. It just didn’t seem like something a kid from the suburbs of Denver would do. The world then was a much bigger place than it is now.

When Kristin and got married in 1984, we went to the local bike shop and bought some bikes. Miyata 100s. Blue. Low end but still better than the stuff from the big stores. Kristin was never much on wanting to ride long distances so we would ride around the block or to get ice cream. But I had rediscovered my passion for the freedom that comes from a bike. I rode to many places on that Miyata 100 and eventually wore it out. So I went back to the same bike shop to see what was available. The young sales lady started asking me questions about what I thought I wanted in a bike. She encouraged me to look at a Miyata 512 which was an entry level triathlon bike. It had good components and 12 speeds and felt right. (This was before Bike Fit became a thing). I went home and started saving money for it and would visit the shop to drool over my new bike.

I still have that Miyata 512. Despite only riding about 600 miles from 2002 to 2014, it has just shy of 20,000 miles on it. I changed from 12 speeds to 14 and the front chain ring to a 53 tooth instead of the original 52. Went from down tube shifters to STI shifters. Put a Brooks Cambrian saddle on it because I like the comfort of it. It weighs more than new bikes but I don’t care. I weigh more than other cyclists so we’re a match of sorts.

That was how it was until I saw Klaus’ Trek 520 in his garage. I decided that I would buy myself a new bike for my 60th birthday and started doing some research. I almost bought a Trek 520. It is a bike that has a long history for long distance touring and is worthy of its reputation.

But then I read some reviews of the 2018 Masi Giramando. It has a relaxed geometry which means more comfort for those long days in the saddle. It has 40mm Clement tires and tubeless rims. It has disk brakes and 30 speeds. It also came with touring racks. It has a lot of accoutrements that make riding it a joy. It truly takes me back to my childhood days of riding my old JC Higgins bike around Arvada and feeling the joy of freedom and escape.  I ride to the store with my panniers and load them up. Or I put my tools and supplies in them and ride to a job. Or I just go for a ride and arrive home smiling.

My dream is to do some touring. I want to ride from Lands End to John O’Groats. I want to ride the 101 in California or the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. But if I never get to that also is ok. I have a bike that I can do those things on and enjoy it. And I owe that to Klaus and his Trek 520. I don’t know if Klaus will ever get out his old bike but if not there is something sweet about disk brakes and 30 speeds that make life easier at 60.

Thanks for perusing

Gary