I took the Takara out for a shake down ride this morning along a favorite "playing hookey from working at home" route, over to the Fanno Creek Trail and back. I was pleasantly surprised all around. The brakes were my biggest concern -- I'm still using the gray pads it had when I got it (just sanded down to get a softer surface) and I though someone here had a less than glowing report on them -- but after nervously creeping down the steep hill I live on, I found that they were actually pretty decent. The shifting was great. The handling gave me no reason to complain. The drivetrain was wonderfully quiet. Even the cheap 27" tires didn't feel too stiff. Don't get me wrong, this is not in the same class as my keeper bikes, but if this was the only bike I had, I would be happy to ride it. I'd even say I have two or three other bikes in my garage right now that aren't this nice.
The bike is so clean it glows. Or maybe I need to clean the lens on my camera phone.
Here's another pic of it on one of several bridges crossing Fanno Creek.
Today's distance: 23.6 kilometers