Addendum

I mentioned in a previous post that I intended to volunteer at the Brown County Breakdown and ride my bike to and from the event.  Well, since the weekend of the Breakdown and my surgery conflicted I had to cancel my plans.  I do, however, intend to ride to Brown County State Park for the fun of it as soon as I am able--tentatively I am planning on doing it Thanksgiving weekend.

Resistance is Futile

My Wound

Well, I got my implant, but not my bike.

This past Monday I had the surgery to install my new defibrillator.  The doctors tell me that it went well and everything is working as planned.  All I know for sure is that it hurt like hell, looks like someone stabbed my chest with a machete, and the bill is to follow.  I must admit though, that I do feel a bit less anxious about my heart.

As for my long awaited bike there was a bit of a snafu.  It seems that the manufacturer is out of my size in the model I had chosen.  They are in the process of switching models, so the only ones available in my size are a color that I really don't like.  However the next level up is available in my size, so I placed an order for that one.  It costs a little more, but it has better components, so I guess in the end is a better deal.  The guys at the bike shop say it will be ready for me early next week.  Hopefully, I will be able to ride by then.

I have, however, gotten a trailer for my new steed.

I used a 20% off member's coupon with REI to get a shiny new Burley Nomad.  I've been wanting a trailer for a few years and finally pulled the trigger on one.  I've been bouncing around between the BOB yak and the Nomad for some time and finally decided on the Nomad because of the two-wheel (i.e. more stable) design which I feel will better suit me in the role of a commuter/grocery getter, and carry my gear for bikepacking and multi-day tours.

Based purely on first impressions, I like my new trailer; its design and materials are confidence inspiring.  I know several people who use a Burley child-carrying trailer, and they all say good things about their trailers.

My Nomad is 53" long--minus half the diameter of the bike's rear wheel (the trailer attaches at the rear hub) that leaves around 40" trailing the bike. 

It's rolling width is 26", but since it's not perfectly centered on the bike the width comes out to 14" on the left side of the bike and 12" on the right.  This sounds, and even looks, like a lot, but my trekking bars with mirrors equate to a 31" wide cockpit (I plan on detailing my cockpit setup in a future post) so, the trailer is actually a little over 1" narrower on the left and over 3" narrower on the right than my bike.

One thing I really like about the Nomad is it's visibility.  The bright yellow cargo cover, combined with two red reflectors on the back, two yellow reflectors on each wheel, two white reflectors on the front, a five foot long safety-flag pole, and a tail light make this trailer highly visible.  The L.E.D. tail-light that came with the trailer is 3" x 2" and fairly bright (side note-the Burley website says nothing about a light being included with the trailer, so it was a nice little surprise).  The light mounts to the frame and looks for all intents and purposes like a tail light from an automotive trailer.  I am already considering ordering a second light from Burley for even more visibility. The Burley light doesn't have a "blinking" mode, but there is a light loop on the rear of the trailer cover so I figure a pair of the 'Burley' lights with a blinking light between them should make for a highly visible trailer even when it's dark--we'll see, but I believe that since I rarely ride after dark the single light, when combined with the rear lights I already use on my bike, should be adequate for commuting/grocery and recycling trip duties. 

As I've mentioned this mini-review is based purely on first impressions.  I will post a review of the trailer in use as soon as I can heal enough to actually use it to carry things.  I honestly can't wait.  Having this trailer opens up several possibilities for using my bike for errands that before I would have had to use my Jeep--I can't wait to see if it lives up to my hopes for it.

It Was the best of times. It was the worst of times...:A.K.A. Good Week Bad Week

So, my bike is finally in.  The guys over at the Bicycle Exchange told me that the bike I ordered has finally come in, and should be assembled and ready to go sometime next week.  Great News.  I will post more about the bike once its handlebars are in my grubby little hands and its saddle is under my grubby...never mind; I don't like the way that was going to sound.

Also this week:  I had an appointment with the fellas watching my heart--latest word:
      "Mr. Ron we are going to put a piece of electrical equipment in your chest to keep you from suddenly dropping dead due to your severely weakened heart." (or something to that effect)

So what these bits of news add up to is that sometime late next week I will be getting my long-awaited new steed, then on the following Monday I get to go have surgery to implant a defibrillator (a.k.a. pacemaker) in my chest.

On the bright side--I will be able to claim I am a cyborg.  This has already given me ideas for a custom cycling jersey.