B is for bicycle

 I was rear-ended in August with my bike on the back of the car. There was minimal damage to the car but the carbon fiber frame of the bike was cracked. A total loss. Fortunately, the other driver's insurance provided full replacement value for the bike.

I had been riding Specialized bikes since 2005. Larry encouraged me to look at the Trek Domane. I tested new bikes from each company and went with the Trek. I have the Domane 5.9 which includes Di2 Ultegra electronic shifting. It is a dream ride. I have never been very comfortable on descents. This bike handles descending quite well. The shifting is very smooth. I wondered why people would go the electronic route and now I know. 

This makes five bikes for me since 2001. Bike one was a bad fit and was replaced after four years. Bike two had a large dent in the seat tube and replaced after two years (I still have this bike and use it when the primary bike is at the shop).  Bike three was always unstable on descents and I felt endangered on it. I used it for four years. Bike four was the one in the rear-end accident and replaced after two years. 

For comparison purposes, I have used just four cars as my primary car since 1969!  I think that at my age I may only have one more car purchase to make in my lifetime.