Well, had my first actual ride today- 16 miles on a beautiful sunny Spring day about 40 degrees.

There are things about this bike that are identical to my older bike (my Rivendell)- the saddle, handlebars, pedals, gearing range....those things were blessedly familiar and so they eased and diminished the 'oh how weirdly different!' factor for me.

The brifters are taking a bit of time to get used to from my old bar end shifters. I'm sure I will get used to them but I do already miss being able to zip through 3 or 4 cassette gears at once when confronted with a sudden steep altitude change. I'll get the hang of these things. They remind me of click beetles.

The new bike is 4 pounds lighter (mostly because of lighter tubing more appropriate for my weight) and the top tube is shorter and the stem is 2cm longer. Overall this makes the new Luna feel a little quicker, smaller feeling, and more responsive. A little more 'get up and go'. It also turns better than the slightly longer Rivendell.
I am slightly more bent forward, but still I look way more upright than typical roadbike riders. Happily, I have no back or neck issues.

I do feel that I can get behind my pedaling a little more- meaning that I think my butt is further behind the crank. I always felt a bit too balanced on top of the crank on the other bike- felt I could never get far enough back to get more power, even though the reach was already too long. So I must be better balanced now. That was a major issue I was hoping to improve, so that's good.
The nasty left elbow pain/ache that I usually always get after 10 miles no matter what did not materialize today- only a very slight twinge happened but it never got any worse. I was very glad about that- it's been an ongoing biking discomfort for 2 years. Again this indicates to me that my weight is better distributed back (off my hands) and the reach is less long.

Another treat was being able to actually wrap my fingers around the brake levers for a change! Love those short reach levers with shims!

The first few miles I was not really sure if I was indeed more comfortable overall or not. Things were different enough to feel confusing, and there was no dramatic orgasmic "Oh My God this bike is incredible!" revelation like some people have. But by the last five miles I just started feeling very natural on it and I felt connected to it. My Rivendell feels a little longer and heavier and I always feel a bit like I am riding on top of this great machine. This bike feels more like I am connected to it and I feel in control of it more. The differences are more subtle and complex than I thought they would be.
I really like this bike and was quite comfortable on it by the end of the ride.
I bet it will feel better and better every ride now. Already my two biggest problems seem much improved- the "elbow pain with weight on hands/reach" thing, and the "getting my center of gravity back more and getting power-behind-my-pedaling" thing.

It's a keeper.

It told me it's a 'girl', by the way. My Rivendell Rambouillet has always definitely been a 'boy'.



P.S. Shelly yes it has ClearCoat finish on top. It'll get the same dings and scratches as any other bike. I've come to terms with that concept.