Obituary: Fuji Absolute DX

January 11, 2010.  Approximately 9:30 am.  San Francisco, CA.  4th & King Caltrain station, aboard southbound train 236, still sitting in the station waiting for the 9:37am departure.  That was the last time I say my Fuji Absolute DX bike.  A brief moment of inattention on my part, and me and my bike were parted.  That is when some low-life thief took him from me.

But this post isn’t about that.  Rather, this post is an only-slightly tongue in cheek memorial to a great bike.  Nicknamed “Truck” for the utilitarian, hauling usage as my daily commuter, there were at least 5500 miles recorded on the cycling computer.  That’s before I took the computer off and moved it to another bike – and not counting all of the times I simply didn’t turn the computer on.

Truck has accompanied me through countless bus and train rides.   A frequent passenger on both the Amtrak Capitol Corridor and Caltrain commuter trains, Truck as rubbed wheels with fixies, mountain bikes, folding bikes and carbon framed wonders.

Over the years Truck has become more and more equipped – tragically the final addition of a super-bright light on the handle bars being used for the first time on that fateful January morning.

Full list of equipment attached to Truck at the time of parting:

  • Planet Bike Hybrid fenders
  • Super-bright front light – didn’t have it long enough to recall the make  🙁
  • Secondary LED white frog light on front – left attached “just in case” the other light failed
  • Planet Bike flashing red rear light
  • San Marco Ponza saddle
  • Blackburn rear rack
  • Shimano SPD pedals
  • (2) Threaded CO2 cartridges
  • Presta CO2 inflator
  • (3) tire levers
  • Multi tool with cool rubber case
  • Spoke wrench
  • Alexrims front and rear
  • Memories from many many miles

Truck was like a first girlfriend – so many things learned, so many new things experienced.

Truck – you will be missed.