The touch of a master's hand...
The plane trip to Italy wreaked havoc on my bicycle (even though I took it in a hard-shell container specifically designed for airline travel). I asked a group of cyclists who was the best local bike mechanic and was told that the guy in Aquaviva (meaning living water) was a "maestro." So, I traveled the 30 minutes to Aquaviva to have the "master" give my bike the once over. He complimented me for having purchased a bike made from all Italian parts. I waited somewhat impatiently for the three days that he requested and when I returned to collect my bike I couldn't believe how it looked. More importantly, I couldn't believe how it rode. The shifting was flawless, the wheels were true, it was better than new. The professionals who race in the grand tours are lucky to have master mechanics fine tuning their bikes all the time.I usually have to have my wheels trued (think of it as an alignment) twice each riding season. In the two years and more than 6,000 miles I rode in Italy, I never had to touch those wheels... they stayed true the entire time. Talk about the touch of a master's hand!
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