Sky Blue Parlee Morning Ride

Sky Blue with blue river, blue sky and summer Fuji in background

After an inaugural ride on the Parlee Altum R Saturday cut short due to issues with my 3T carbon seatpost and beastly heat, I wanted to take a spin yesterday (Monday) on the Parlee Altum R (now christened Sky Blue).  But the heat was even worse on Monday, over 38 degrees C (100 F) and humid in a number of cities in Northern Japan.

So I opted for a short spin before work Tuesday.  It was already hot when I left home at 7AM, but at least there was a gusty wind to dry the sweat off and add a bit of variety to the training route -- winds coming it seemed from every which way at every speed.

I headed up the river, across, and back down the Kawasaki side.  On the return I saw a fast rider a few hundred meters ahead of me and marked him as my target.  With the pedal to the floor and a really fast bike, I caught him in a few minutes.  As I neared, I noticed double tail lights, large front lights, a "cockpit" that looked as if it could hold other gear.  Of course, it was M.-san, a hard core randonneur, on his commute.

He was going at a steady speed and had many km's ahead, so I pulled him as far as Futakobashi and said my farewells.

It was very hard to turn around and come back in toward town.  Sky Blue seemed to want to head further upriver and into the mountains, at least as far as Motojuku on the Akigawa so I could soak in a swimming hole in the rushing stream and really enjoy the summer heat.  As it was, the ride was too short.  Still, I almost went through my entire 2-liter water supply in a little more than an hour.

Pointing upriver!

The Altum-R's ride is really, really sweet.  Confident, neutral, responsive but not twitchy.  I am very happy with this bike.