New Bacchetta Giro 20

I picked up my new Giro20 from Power On Cycling in Plant City, Fla. this afternoon. Power On's owner, Mark Powers is an excellent recumbent dealer. His service is outstanding. He carries a wide selection of bents, and best of all, he is a bent rider who is very familiar with all the peculiarities of my favorite bikes. He is especially experienced with Bacchetta bikes.

This is my second recumbent purchase this year and it is only April. Well, I decided to complete my inventory of bents with a city assault bike to be used mainly in Atlanta and Sarasota for running chores and visiting family and friends. I am committed to spending less time in the car and more time on the bike, not just for training, but for activities of daily living. My Aero and Monster will undoubtedly get many more miles, but the Giro will be my functional bike.

Atlanta, and Sarasota in the high season, have lots of aggressive traffic and I needed a bike that would withstand the rigors of urban life. So I set up the Giro with wider tires (Kenda Qwest), fenders, front (Light and Motion Vega) and rear (Dinotte Taillight) lights mounted on two Terracycle accessories mounts, a Hostelshoppe seat bag and a kickstand. I have not had a bike with a kickstand in several years and I will welcome not having to find a post to lean the bike against. The lights will be used in flashing mode during daily rides as an extra safety feature. I have installed a Garmin 305 mount so I can keep track of my mileage even when piddling around and not training.

I suppose I could use either the Aero or the Monster for city riding, but decided that a more upright bike would be a bit safer, at least in my head. The Aero runs tubular tires and flats are very expensive, so using the Aero for daily runs to the store or visiting my mother, while doable, is not ideal. And I tend to employ the Monster as an alternative training bike used for country and trail rides. I ride the Monster in heavy traffic, but I'll feel more comfortable on the Giro for that purpose.

This is my last bike purchase for a long time (yeh, right). My stable is complete and barring any unforeseen circumstances I will be happy with this bike group for several years to come.

I haven't had a chance to get any mileage on the Giro20, except for a short test ride. As I get more experience I'll post my impressions. It is certainly a good looking bike and my impression thus far is that it will be ideal for its urban assault duties.