My new steed has arrived. I have not had a bicycle for nearly a year, which is surprising given how much of my life has been devoted to bicycle riding, maintenance, leg shaving, admiring, and TV watching. Way back in my teen years I worked at a bicycle shop. I always thought the dorks who came in with single speed bikes had a screw loose. I mean, why limit yourself to one gear? Don't the hills suck? Are you wearing underwear beneath those bike shorts?

OK, fast forward to today. The bike pictured above has only one gear. It does have brakes, so I am not a purist, but I dig the single gear. It is simpler to "just pedal". But, the hills do suck.

Two notes for anyone thinking of taking the single speed plunge.

• 48 x 16 gearing is a bit to high of a gear ratio. I suffer on the hills, and the first couple miles of any ride are tough
• Running shoes are not the best - I swear I can feel every corner and divot of the pedal cages

Today I also owe you a correction. My linguistic skills are poor when it comes to Italian/Spanish/Latin. You mean they aren't the same? The mother-in-law rightly pointed out that The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and A Few Dollars More were in Italian, and not Spanish. If you also noticed this, then go treat yourself to a full fat latte with extra foam.