The Miyata has always struggled to fit in with the rest of my bikes. It was larger, more upright and less aggressive so I planned for it to be a bike I could take with me on longer gravel rides. The older components are neither fast nor light, but they are pretty much bomb proof meaning it would be a great bike to ride around Pittsburgh when I visit (and not have anxiety attacks about locking it up outside) and go on long gravel rides without worry. But it never felt right, it didn't feel comfortable and easy to grow into.

 Recently I decided to try something new and picked up mustache bars at a bike flea market. I had some (frustrating) fun with the bar wrap, doing a harlequin pattern.

The bars allow for some different hand positions to drop bars, all a little less aggressive and quite novel. It completely changed the feel of the bike. Much more fun.   

A quick update on some of the bike projects ive been working on I've been collecting some vintage italian parts for a while now, and very recently I found a decently priced italian frame. These are pretty much all the parts I need for the build. I'm very excited about this build, I plan to put it together myself. Which sounds easy enough but the parts are not necessarily from the era and some finagaling is required to make all the components to jive together. I'm also excited to have this Amish/Mennonite bike shop near where I work build me the wheels. THe shop is totally out of the way and tucked away between farmlands and is probably the coolest bike shop I've been to. Modern bike shops have exclusivity agreements with certain manufacturers meaning if you go to a bike shop the chances are you dont get a lot of options to choose from. This shop is truly independent and has a great selection.