First long ride on new Aethos with the club. Fast ride down Tangerine allowed me to use the new low end 10 tooth on the 33/10 cassette and keep up with the group at 38 mph. Very sweet!
The suspension was apotential worry after years on the Domane and Roubaix but this ride erased any concerns. The geometry was magical and the ride was as nice and comfortable as any day on those endurance bikes. The light overall weight made the hills way more fun than they used to be.
The 12 speed cassette proviced a tighter range that really made a difference and encouraged me to use the gears to my advantange both up and down hills.
As luck would have it, I got 2 punctures this first day out. They were both on the front tire but the sealant did its job and sealed both holes with minimal air loss. I didn't need to top off the tire and made it home just fine. Would you belive the punctures were caused by a fisherman's fly! I would not have belived it either except I pulled it out of the tire in order to resume my ride.
I think this is going to be a great bike and I may have just added a few years to my cycling life and that means a lot when you're 75!