Hi fidl and everyone! My new little (13 inch) specialized Myka elite (circa 2008) is alot of fun! It's a trusty little climber, and the descents -er , um - well, I clipout on most of the turns. they are kind of pot-holed and rutted from the downhiller maniacs. I'm not afraid of falling - I got to practice that in my first cyclocross race right before Christmas. Falling in the dirt is WAY better than falling on pavement! )and I'm up to date on my tetanus shot) Of course now I'm training for crits, road races and time trialing (all of which I am a total rookie at) so my coach has me pretty booked up with serious workouts in the gym and workouts on the bike geared towards those skills. I guess I'll have more time to play this summer. Then I plan to train for cyclocross with my little mt goat. If I like 'cross enough, I'll take the plunge and get a Valkerie or one of Margo's Luna bikes. I must say, the appeal of riding with nothing to worry about (except mt lions) (meaning NO CARS!) is pretty appealing. And I've not been up to mt lion country - yet! It's very appealing to ride in natural beauty, and learn how to negotiate the terrain. I am thinking of switching to eggbeater pedals - I keep accidentally clipping out of my frogs, but worse, I never can tell when I'm clipped in. Tokie