I bought some Profile Design T2 clip-on aero bars today. I got them off craigslist for $50 (plus one dog bite when I picked them up - small dog, no damage). I put them on the Tricross and in the initial position I think they will be pretty comfortable. They are higher than the drops, so I think I'll be able to lower the bars as far as practical in the drops and then be comfortable on the aero bars.

There is just enough room between the brake cables. I may have to take off an inch of handlebar tape on each side to get the cables off of the aero bar bracket; I'll see when I get them fitted a little better. I really don't have much use for riding in the tops anyway, the only time I do is when I'm exhausted after a climb or a sprint.

Now I can get an Aerodrink or Aquacell water bottle to fit between them. These have a straw so I can drink without sitting up - this should be very nice.

To recap, yes I am aware of the Fred-ness of my bike:
- cyclocross bike
- 32mm tires
- fenders
- clip-on aero bars
Just wait till I get the rack on there!

Links:
(The first link is to the T2+, but I have the older T2.)
http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/products/aerobars/aluminum-...
http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/products/hydration/all-hydr...
http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/products/hydration/all-hydr...

In between winter storms I've gone for a couple of short rides. I intended to buy everything at once when I got this bike but I skipped a few things so now I have a wish list. Work to do:

Get my Garmin Forerunner to recognize the cadence/speedo transmitter. It won't see it and that bugs me.

Improve the front fender mount. There is very little clearance (~none) between the V-brakes and the fender. I need to cut off the stock fork mount on the fender and move it forward a couple of inches, I think.

Make mudflaps for the fenders.

Replace odd-size fender fasteners. The fasteners on the fenders use a socket (8mm if I remember correctly, not sure). I want to replace these with stainless socket pan head screws to match the water bottle screws so that I won't have to carry that socket wrench.

Wax the underside of the fenders. This won't do much, but it will keep a bit of mud & grime off for the first ride or two.

Paint the fenders flat black. I just don't care for the shiny black fenders.

Mount the new tires. I got a set of Continental Ultra Gatorskins with the bike. I was going to wait until spring to mount them but I learned today that the stock tires get virtually no traction. So I may as well start off with good tires.

Improve the cadence magnet on the crank. Right now the magnet is a stack of neo buttons held to the pedal shaft. I should probably put some heat shrink around them or do something to keep them from getting lost if I hit a good bump.

Dial in the pedals. It's hard to clip into the right pedal, not sure why. I also need to analyze my knee motion and see how straight they are. (Crank Bros Candy SL) Stuff to buy:

Garmin Edge 305 GPS/computer - now under $200 on Amazon

Garmin Forerunner 305 - now ~$160 on Amazon

Shorty/clip-on aero bars (yes it's a cross bike, I don't care, I'll take them off in the fall)

Bottle/gel straw for aero bars

Knobby tires for next fall, or at least something with some tread

Wheels so I don't have to swap tires

Trainer

Platform-type hitch-mount bike rack for the SUV

Rear rack that fits the paniers behind the rear axle, because of my size 49 feet

Trunk bag for the rack Stuff to do:

"March in Okarche" duathlon in eight weeks (30K bike)

Tulsa Tough centuries in May, or at least one of them

Freewheel in June, because this year is a perfect ride from Hugo OK to Joplin MO. Beautiful country and some good hills.

I picked up a new bike, a 2008 Specialized Tricross Sport triple. I was calling around to the local shops, looking for a 2009 or 2010, and http://www.t-townbicycles.com/ in Tulsa told me they had a 2008 for 20% off. It was such a deal that I gave them a credit card number to hold it until the weekend (yeah, it sat on their floor for two years but I didn't want to risk having it sit their three more days) and went over to look at it yesterday.

It's a 58cm frame, which fits me pretty well. I wasn't sure if I needed the 58 or 61 - I'm 6'3" tall but my legs aren't especially long, 34" inseam. I looked at the specs and the 61 is 15mm taller than the 58, but only 10mm longer. And 58s are a lot easier to find. When I got on the trainer it was cramped - no surprise there - so they put a longer stem on it. I think the current stem is 120mm and the original was 110mm. The 120mm might be a little short still, but I can't tell because I haven't been riding in months. If it is I'll take it back and try a longer one. It is set up now with the handlebars pretty flat. I need to angle them down a bit for riding in the drops, and that rotation will effectively add to the length to the hoods.

I chose Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals. I wanted the Candy X but they were out, so I upgraded to the stainless SL. I wanted fenders, but they were out of those as well. It's a lean season in a lean year for bike shops, so I won't fault them for keeping their inventory low.

The weather was rainy, misty, and wet when I got the bike, so the first thing I did was head to Turkey Mountain. I didn't actually go up on the trails, there were a couple of guys with full suspension mountain bikes pretty caked with mud in the parking lot so I stayed on the pavement.