The new baby: Trek 7.2FX
After the tearful adieu to world class Merida, I chose a Trek (of Lance Armstrong fame) this time. Trek 7.2 FX, an Hybrid Bike with best of the both worlds (upright position of Mountain Bikes and lean frame and tires of Road Bikes), which allows the rider to scale speeds closer to Road Bikes, but demands little decent roads of course (unlike Mountain Bikes).
Thanks to Saugat, an ex-colleague from HP (currently with Cisco, San Jose), for taking me around a few bike shops over the weekend. I found Cannondale Quick 4 a little better than Trek 7.2 FX, but that costs also a bit more. So, settled with this. Immediate experience is simple physics. Tires and frame are leaner, bike is lighter. Gear ratio is also better than typical Mountain Bikes. So, easy to scale higher speeds with less energy. But, less comfortable than Mountain Bike frames, as there is no suspension in fork and rider would feel every small stone on road.
Many roads in and around Sunnyvale have bike lanes. So, commuting and long rides would be a pleasure. Stanford University, with a big biking community is around 15 KM from the hotel. I should start my long rides with that, probably the coming weekend.
PS: Venkat, (formerly annacoder on LJ) advised me not to put a pic this time. As I put a pic of ' The New Apple of My Eye' and lost it in a week. I also put pic of ' Merida-My new Baby' and lost it in a year. But, being superstitious is beyond me. So, going ahead anyway :)