I finally got my bike!! At long last, I picked up the Javelin from the Pro Shop. They sized me and cut the fork and I was on my way. I wanted to attack the mechanic when he showed me a spot on my frame where they'd dropped a tool. It took off a big chunk of paint and they did the best they could to fill it in. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal--the bike still looks great, but obviously I'm not happy about it.



I have to say that the bike really does look great with the Dura Ace groupo. The crank, the tape, the shifters, the brakes and all of it look terrific. The only thing that bugs me is the red on the FSA stem. It's just out of place with all the blue. Hopefully I'll have some spare change in the future and I can put on a set of blue tires to match. For now, though, I'm riding on my 25mm Conti's. They're good for training. I'll switch to my 23mm Michelin's when the time comes to race seriously.

I took the bike out for a spin immediately after leaving the shop. I rode down to the Capital Crescent trail and rode it out about five miles and then made the turn for home to escape the oncoming darkness. I ended up chasing down a guy riding a single speed and I was shocked by his pace. I was messing around with my shifters and I had to really work to catch back on him.

The bike feels solid. I can notice that I don't have the Carbon stays of the Brunello on bumps, but really, I'm not too heartbroken. I think the stiffness is excellent and this is definitely the fastest bike I've ever owned. It's too early to say, but it's possible I might need to swap out the stem. Right now, I'm debating whether to ride out to the Quicksilver race tomorrow. It'd be a good training ride and let me see what racing's like, but man is it supposed to be cold tomorrow. The warm weather is quickly leaving us.