Almost 1200 km down the road I thought it might be appropriate with a short evaluation of our bikes. Frida riding a Specialized Diverge Elite comp (2×11) weighing just over 9 kg and I a Specialized Diverge Expert (1×11) weighing just over 8,5 kg, both equipped with 38 mm Specialized Trigger Pro tires. The weight without the baggage of course… Right before leaving Sweden we had the bikes tuned @bybike, Umeå. In place in Miami Jan 16 I assembled the bikes and sent our bike boxes (Alan bike box – somewhat heavy but very secure!) to my old classmate Danielle Olson (thank you very much!) in L.A. via FedEx (nope, not cheap).

After the first day of riding (Miami – Everglades City) we adjusted the handlebars a little (angled them upward about 10 degrees – much confier), but no other adjustments except some retightening of some allen screws. Some getting used to the bike bags, how to pack them most efficiently so you won’t have to unpack everything everday…

This far the only problem we’ve had was a few days ago when a wind gust tipped my bike over when taking a break. After the fall I couldn’t access the lowest gear, no matter how must I adjusted the tension in the wire. Took some bending of the rear derailleur, but after that the gears work foultlessly, as well as everything else on the bikes. It is absolutely amazing how well those bikes perform, no matter if it’s on concrete, smooth or rough tarmac, on gravel or on sand. They are an absolute joy to ride. Even though the tires are rather rough they roll very well also on smooth surfaces. Truly looking forward to tomorrows ride to Panama City (some scouting for future Ironman adventures…). I’ll get back with an update closer to the end of the journey.