It isn't the most beautiful bike in the world, but it is really cool to ride. (I've never been a fan of obnoxiously loud branding, and Bianchi oughta pay me to ride this thing. You can see the logo from an airplane in the sky, two miles above the ground.)

I've designated Sundays as Pista riding day, this fall and winter. I started switching out components already; the handlebars, brake hoods and front brake were switched out with the track handlebar so that I can ride the bike on the road.

I like the "NO BRAKES" sticker on the top tube. On the track, brakes aren't allowed. It seems a bit scary to ride a bike with no brakes, but the track is banked, so you can slow down by riding up the bank (in a desperate situation), or pull back on the pedals to slow the bike down. I don't use the brakes on the road at slower speeds - I learned how to use the pdeals as brakes. However, going down a hill at 30+ mph, I discovered that the front brake is not entirely effective and when the pedals are forcing my cadence at 120+ rpm, it's not possible to pull back on the pedals. So, going down hills is a bit scary and exciting, and induces many laughs. Going up hills, on the other hand, induces many grunts. I nearly fell over yesterday riding up a steep incline. Needless to say, my legs are sore today.