Leia

There is a long tradition of naming the vehicles that transport us. While this primarily speaks to boats, which need names for easier identification (the same way that the automobile carries a license plate), I see no reason why my bicycle is any less deserving of a name. As much as I would love to wax poetic about how I came to the name Leia for my bicycle, it is primarily the result of word association. Soma Fabrications is the manufacturer of my touring frame and their name for her is the Saga D/C. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind when I think Saga, is Star Wars. Given the aforementioned penchant for mariners to name their vessels after women, Leia seemed to be the most obvious choice. Here's hoping that the bicycle takes on some of the characteristics of the fictional Leia, her steadfastness, her resilience, and maybe even a little bit of her tenacity.

Natural Cycle in Winnipeg's Exchange District played an instrumental role in the preparation for this trip by helping me pin down the components I needed. I specifically want to shout out Scott Snider, Will Belford, and Andrew Dalton for all their help!

I picked up Leia's pieces back in October, 2016 and took them home to my living room so I could put her together. My rationale for doing the work myself was that, if I can put the bike together, I should be able to fix it if/when it breaks in the future. I realize that most people who read this won't really care, but here's a parts list anyways!

The bike

Frameset - Soma Saga D/C (58cm)

Rims - Alexrims G6000 (700c)(36h)

Spokes - Wheelsmith, Double Butted 2.0/1.7/2.0mm

Hub - Shimano XT FH/HB-M756

Tires - Schwalbe Marathon (700x35)

Brakes - TRP Spyre Mechanical Disk

Shifters - Dia Compe, Bar End Shifter

Handlebar - Salsa Cowbell 3

Rear Casette - Shimano 8 spd 11-34T

Crankset - Shun Road Triple Crank 30-42-52T rings

BB - Bottom Bracket Unit, IRD, QB55, JIS Spindle, Steel ENG Cups, 113mm x 68mm

Chain - SRAM, PC830, 7/8 Speed, W/powerlink

Rear Derailleur - Shimano, Altus, 7/8 Speed,

Front Derailleur - Shimano, Claris FD-2403, triple

Cables/housings - JagWire

Bar Tape - 25mm Lizard Skins

Seat - Brooks B17

Pedals - Shimano M324 Clipless SPD-Flat MTB Pedals

Rear Rack - Axiom Streamliner Disc DLX

Front Rack - Specialized Pizza Rack

Fenders - SKS Chromoplastic

Guy Anthony Half Framebag - 3-5L

Ortleib Backroller Classics (Thank-you Annie-Rose for selling them to me!) - 40L

Arkel Dry Lites - 28L Having the bike built up since early November has allowed me to spend a couple months on the bike, both indoors on a trainer and outdoors in preparation for this trip. Even if this touring thing isn't quite what I imagine it to be, I'm still the owner of one bombproof grocery getter!