Thunder Road

In 1975, my parents bought me a Huffy Thunder Road.  I vividly remember my dad assembling the bike in our kitchen as soon as we got home.  Mesmerized by the new bike smell and the adventure potential of my new machine.  Flat black painted frame.  Fat knobby tires.  A number plate.  Gray with yellow pinstriped plastic fenders.  And a thick long spongy black seat.  It looked like a dirt bike.  And it felt like one too every time I rode it.  I was soooo stoked.  I literally rode that bike into the ground.  45 years later, I wasn’t supposed to get a new bike.  Then, I realized that I had only ridden my aero road bike a handful of times last year.  It’s a thoroughbred race bike, and well, I don’t race anymore.  Gravel has become my new road.  Like a dog chained to a tree, it deserved a better life.  It was time to let it go to a new owner who could bring out its full potential.  And replace it with something more comfortable and versatile for the type of riding that I now do.  Exploring roads less travelled.  A bike with road geometry that can still handle dirt and even gravel roads comfortably.  An endurance road bike.  Clearance for wider tires, up to 35 mm.  Meet Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2.  Mechanical Ultegra.  32 mm gravel tires.  Road pedals.  We hit it off on the very first ride.  To this day, every single time that I crack open a new bike box, that smell brings me back to our old kitchen and my dad building my new Huffy.  I totally feel the beginning of a deep, long lasting relationship like I had with my Huffy Thunder Road.