Carbon/White ’06 Specialized Tarmac Expert (click here to enlarge)

I broke 1000 miles on Friday with my new 06 Specialized Tarmac Expert.

I was looking for a good ride that was different than what I usually ride here in Utah Valley, so I checked out the Bonneville Bicycle and Tandem Club (BBTC) website for any scheduled rides and saw that there was one from the Weather bureau at 2200 W. N. Temple to the Great Salt Lake marina. 32 miles put me 10 miles over the 1000 mile mark. Nice. I think I’ve ridden 1k miles in a season before but not this early. I’ve only had my bike for a couple months. Hopefully I”ll be able to keep up my riding – it’s been a great way to reduce stress and enjoy the outdoors.

After the first thousand miles, I have noticed a couple things about the bike. The crank needs adjusting as there is a slight creak in the left crank when I get out of the saddle in a high gear when I’m climbing or accelerating. Speaking of saddles, I replaced the hard-as-a-rock, thin-as-a-piece-of-paper saddle with another Specialized saddle with a little more padding. I’ve been able to ride longer now. I’ve also only had one flat in the entire time I’ve had the bike. Nice – I usually get a couple a year at least but this is a little surprising. The front derailleur needed adjustment because it kept dropping the chain on a down shift. But the adjustments like the crank and the derailleur are expected. The bike over all, has been such a good bike – definitely the best I’ve ever owned. I hope that the next 1k miles will be as enjoyable and that the crank issue really is only a need for adjustment and not a crack in the frame or something bad like that. I’m taking it into Bingham Cycles next week after I return from a family reunion.