... my commuter bike.
She is named after Prospero's daughter in Shakespeare's "The Tempest." Prospero, you may remember, was a magician, and I named this bike after his daughter for two reasons:
1) The bike's make -- a GT Tempest
2) The bike's magical, or if you prefer, miraculous, qualities --
how many $200 second-hand refurbished mountain bikes are fast and fit the buyer perfectly, faithfully carrying her to and from work for two and half years, transporting her from Jasper to Banff on the Icefields Parkway; introducing her to the wonderful world of road cycling, all the while giving nary a moment of discomfort?
Sometimes I call her Sergeant Miranda, because of her olive-green,
army-issue-like paint job.
Miranda recently acquired a mate: Roger the Randonneur. I didn't name this fellow myself; I have some clever marketer to thank for that, but I had an Uncle Roger who did justice to that name by caring for his wife (my mom's sister) during her final years of illness, so I am pleased to have a fender-rack combo that bears his name.
I got this luggage rack from our local bike shop; they special-ordered it for me and then attached it to my bike for a mere $10 extra. Great service!
Roger and Miranda, as you can see above, are the commuter's dream team. For everyday trips, I use just the two blue panniers and the frame pack, but when I need a little more cargo space, I can add the rack pack as well. And when Roger rides alone, his integrated fender is there to protect my back from water and mud splatters.
Looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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