My New Luna Bike!!

[Andrea]

How awesome is that?!?! What a gorgeous bike!

[Jo-n-NY]

That is a beautiful bike Lisa. congratulations and may you have many enjoyable and safe riding miles.

~ JoAnn

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thank you.

It's an Eclipse (road)....sort of...I guess. Though Margo really just sort of made up a custom geometry that would fit my body measurements and my riding goals. It's part touring and part road bike. It really is a custom bike in every sense of the word. There was a lot of planning and somewhat challenging component coordination.

My Rivendell has the same gear range....but we had to do a lot of juggling and changing of parts to get it. That range does not come standard on Rivs. Running out of gears on a downhill?- has not happened to me yet. I figure by the time I hit 40mph I probably won't be pedaling anyway!

The TA Carmina crankset provided the exact number of front ring cog combinations that we wanted, which was 24/36/48. A Shimano Ultegra triple would usually come with 30/39/52 (not a low enough granny gear for me). The TA is also adaptable to swapping rings later to change cog numbers --like if I get 'super quads' later on.

Later I will be staining/sealing the cork tape in a nice coordinating color.

[twin]

That is not only beautiful it is hot! That is one of the best bikes I have ever seen. Many happy miles to you.

[Triskeliongirl]

She is georgeous! CONGRATS!!! I can't wait to hear the first ride report. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rij73]

Beautiful! May you have many happy years together...

[SouthernBelle]

I like that color. & the Brooks looks so good with it.

[Ninabike]

Beautiful bike Lisa. It should "turn some heads" among knowledgable bike folk you meet on the road. May you have many happy and safe miles together.

[spokewench]

What a lovely retro bike

[Blueberry]

Lisa-

The is bee--you--tee--ful (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

Looking forward to your maiden voyage report

CA

[short cut sally]

Lisa, love the color of that bike. and at first i wasnt so sure about that matte finish, then i took a second look and decided i really like that. the color and finish is so different from what i've seen and i think that's what i like about it. i do have a question, with it being a matte finish, it should wash the same as any bike with the regular shiny finish correct? I am assuming it must have like a clear coat or something? enjoy your bike..hope you got to ride it today, it might have been near 50 today but man, are those winds out there today horrible, at least in my area of the state..

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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.

[Triskeliongirl]

One thing I noticed in the pic, is your bars seem tilted up at quite a high angle. You may have had to do that on the riv to shorten the reach, but maybe its making your positioning on the brifters sub-optimal. If the reach is correct, you should be able to angle the bars so the drops are either parallel to the ground, or pointed only slightly up. If you feel good with how your hands are contacting the brifters, then maybe you just need time to get used to the new shifting.

But overall from your description, it sounds like the fit is great, just that perhaps the fit of the riv wasn't as bad as you thought. Being one with the bike, and balanced over your bike is key, so its great that all feels right!

[madscot13]

It'll get the same dings and scratches as any other bike. I've come to terms with that concept.

how does one come to terms with that?

[Mr. SR500]

Very Nice! Welcome to the world of STI, I think you'll come to love them in short order. Bike looks great, color blends nicely and carbon fork seems to fit in just fine with the classic features. Love the King headset and Thomson seatpost. Now I know why you went 9 - speed (to get that large cassette), and I understand.

Finally as a guy, I gotta say you need a smaller bag

Great Bike! Enjoy!