Thanks Suzanne. I'm actually considering having the name printed on a decal or vinyl sticker and putting it on the bike as a last finishing touch.

That name sounds just right to me! You had lots of original names out there, but none of them was quite as spot on as this one. Long live Serenity!

Oops that should of course have been "road salt".

Nothing planned before spring. We're (the missus and I) off to Hawaii in the new year but for walking not cycling.

As much as I carp about them, winters here are often mild enough for a decent day ride fairly regularly so I can at least do that although my road and mountain bikes need exercise too. Plus they are not steel framed so foad salt is less of an issue for them.

Do you and Serenity have any other touring plans coming up soon? It must be tough to get a new bike during the winter season!

Agreed, wholeheartedly and without reservation or caveat!

Sitting at the kitchen table, actually, which you will recall faces the court so Isaw the instant the FedEx truck arrived. :) But yes I'd been antsy about it all day.

See my comment to Charmaine, above. Pudge has moved into leading contender status, at least provisionally.

FWIW and this may work for you and The Mule: I got a mini-pump bracket with tabs off the sides. It's intended to mount between (behind) the bottle cage and the frame. Being plastic the tabs are plenty thick enough to serve as spacers and lift the cage clear of interference from the derailleur clamp. I'll add a photo in my soon-to-be-written maiden voyage journal but it may not be until tomorrow: my camera battery is at critically low level and I didn't bring the charger. I also neglected to bring the card reader, so all of the photos I took today are marooned on the camera's SD card until I get home tomorrow

Rod is a possibility, though after today I'm leaning heavily in the direction of "Pudge". I'll be putting up a new journal shortly, detailing the maiden voyage.

Here's a list of other Rodriquez-es. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodr%C3%ADguez_(surname). It includes a couple of Austrian darts players. I'm sure you've heard of them.
Personally, I like Chi-Chi. Has nothing to do with cycling but it's a cool name.
FWIW, The Mule has the same bottle cage problem. I just bent the cage and, maybe, used a longer screw.
Cool looking bike. I hope we measured you right.

How about "Rod" or "Roddie" (for Rodriguez)? Or "Desire" since you've desired the bike for a long time... :)

WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL NEW BIKE! :) FINALLY! :) :)

Boy, you sure were waiting at the front door for this truck! :)

Great point Kelly, and well worth considering.

This is not the time of year for a camping trip, not even in Arizona! My opinion, of course. A compromise might be to load up for a camping trip, to get the experience of carrying the gear, but to stay in a motel room. You can be warm and cozy, dreaming of a camping tour!