Albuquerque, NM

Last Friday my manager asked me to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to fill-in for a colleague who has a long-term illness. It's only a 3 week gig for now.

I've been in ABQ, or as the locals call it, the Duke City, for 6 days now. Very pleasantly hot, not very humid. Lots of good food and good adventure to go with it.

Hiked a trail in the Petroglyph National Monument today. Will post photos soon of Native American carvings from days of yore.

One ride wonder

A week ago the west-coast retailer from where I bought the Scott Speedster S10 asked if I wanted a complete refund as Scott were taking too long to respond to the cracked frame issue. After much delibration, I accepted the offer and got my $1500 back. So, all that hassle and one good ride out of it. I've got a bad taste of Scott bikes in my mouth.

It's now time to get a replacement locally, and it won't be a Scott. To top that, Karma hit the Saunier Duval-Scott team in the 2008 Tour de France with the doping issue.

I'm looking for a bike with at least a Shimano 105 gruppo, and double (compact) crankset. Bikes coming to mind are:

Cannondale CAAD 9 5
Felt F85
Trek 2.3
Bianchi Via Nirone 7
Specialized Roubaix Compact

I'll be hitting the local bike shops in a couple of weeks.