After snooping around on the internet for a road bike my size, I bought a used cyclocross frame from Richard in March 2002.  He had built it for Justin Spinelli, a racer he used to sponsor on the cyclocross circuit.

Richard built the frame and fork with very simple but elegant short point lugs with the old Rivendell fork crown.  It has very simple and uncluttered lines, making for a beautiful bike.  Joe Bell painted the bike a nice purple and applied what must be a swarm of "RS" stickers all over the frame. 

The bike came to me full of "character", after being used as a weapon of choice for two seasons of cyclocross racing.  But underneath all the nicks in the paint and scratches on the clear coat, the quality of the frame is evident. 

This picture was taken during a trip to a beach resort on the east coast of West Malaysia, just before a lunch stop.  The weather was glorious, with blue skies and blazing sun all the time.  Perfect for a bum trip to the beach! 

I, Soon Chung, am the guy standing on the left and if you think I'm pudgy, imagine the effect of the scrumptious seafood lunch I ate half an hour after this picture was taken, with lots of beer, in a "restaurant" just beside the sea.  Yum!

The other bike geek in the photo is Roland, my long time friend and cycling partner in crime.  You can just see his MB-4 in the foreground. 

For those of you who have never been to the Southeast Asian tropics, get here quick!  You'll never forget the beautiful beaches and the food!  Hot pepper crabs, shrimp, oysters, lobsters, clams, mussels ... Yum!  (Can you tell I love to eat?)

Yum is also the word to describe the ride of the bike.  It's simply the best turning bike I have.  It's cool and calm when going straight but turns sharp and to the mark when you need to.  It's also very nice balanced when I'm trying to go fast and faster on a Sunday ride!  I always end up eating dust but as they all say, all you have to do is look fast and have fun!  I really enjoy riding it. 

For this trip I used a Nitto Saddlebag Uplift purchased from Rivendell.  Attached to the Uplift is a Carradice Camper Longflap, stuffed full of beer.  The weight of all that beer caused some serious swaying of the frame whenever I try to pedal while standing but otherwise the bike behaved very well.  The trip home the next day was much easier, because we drank all the beer in an effort to replenish lost fluids.  It sure was hot!