Shirley's steel frame is definitely more forgiving that the carbon frame of my roadie. The fatter 26" tires also helped absorb the vibrations of the road. This is significantly more heavy than my racer, making climbs on flyovers more challenging. But it only means that I need to be stronger especially if I want to roll through those hills and mountains outside of Metro Manila.
There's still a lot of work to be done on Shirley. For one, I need to find a better saddle for her. I'm currently using the inflatable saddle of my folding bike. I might get a Brooks B17 in Honey Brown but they're very pricey so I'm still holding off on the purchase. Naturally, when I change my saddle, I'll also change my bar tape to make sure they both match.
I also need to install some good lights to improve visibility at night and at dawn. I also need to get my front brakes fixed as soon as possible. The v-brakes are powerful and the rear one seem to be strong enough on its own. But the front has the greatest stopping power so I need to restore that.
All in all, I'm happy with Shirley 1.0, my black beauty. I look forward to the day we go on our Luzon tour.
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