(PART 1) Starting Over: My Next Bike For Taiwan

I recently received an email from Salsa Cycles about my fractured HT and they, so far, seem very willing to see what they can do about this problem. One of the things I considered in buying my Las Cruces was the 5 year warrantee and Salsa's frame replacement policy. They have a very good reputation in this department.

So I am now, again, in the position of building up my "Taiwan Bike".

I have dispensed a lot of advise to other people looking for theirs... and now it is my turn to ask myself the usual questions about my riding and my my purpose.

My riding profile might look like this:

1) Long Distance: I typically do at least one... if not five 160-200km rides in a month.

2) Climbing: I love the challenge of a good day of climbs and with Taiwan's topography it can hardly be avoided... unless I want to dedicate myself to triathlon.

3) Hard/Fast Solo Training Rides. Race against time and traffic.

4) Casual Friendlies: I love spending the day in the saddle enjoying a ride with friends.

5) Light Touring with only a change of clothes.

6) The Occasional Race.

I imagined my last bike to be a bit like a Paris - Roubaix bike with a little more room for messy roads.

I haven't done nearly enough dirty riding, so I will focus on how I see my riding. I like long adventurous road riding on all types of roads with bumps and some dirt. I like climbs and descents. I like to push myself physically. I like speed as well.

I am looking for something I might term... a Giro bike. I was greatly inspired by the last Giro d'Italia and they covered most of the riding I do, but I am nowhere near that good. I don't worry about the touring part.

As I start sketching what I want in a bike, the image is getting clearer.

Now I need to find it.

Any ideas?