NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 7, 2019 12:07:55 GMT -5
The Senior Olympic thread, coupled with the fact that the Tour de France just started, got me thinking about getting a new bike. Mine is a hybrid (mountain bike/road bike) and heavy. It's been good to me, no issues, but if I want to compete seriously in the Games time trials (5K and 10K) and the distance events (20K and 40K), it won't happen on this bike. I wasn't looking at stupid money; I know people who spent more on building a custom bike than I spent for my car last year (you can spend five figures on just a titanium bike frame alone). But I still have the money I inherited from my mother. I was saving that for eventual cosmetic facial surgery (eye and neck lift), but that's not exactly a need, either.
I'm not facing other bills and I am still working. Life is good and paid for right now. My regular bike shop will do the right thing on pricing (I've been a longtime customer), and some of the components of my current bike can be switched over (lighting system, clips) and I am not splurging on new shoes or a helmet, either.
I think I need someone to tell me life is too short and to just go for it, because being competitive in old age is revenge on the people you know who have given up and are sitting on the couch scarfing Cheetos and Ding Dongs.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 7, 2019 12:16:28 GMT -5
I would tell you to go for it. I have a $1600 Specialized road bike that I love (that I bought 10 years ago with the intention of doing century rides), and do not regret for a second buying it. While it was not as expensive as most, the features on it were a good compromise on what I wanted. I remember being utterly amazed as to how easy it was to haul it up the flight of stairs to my apartment.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jul 7, 2019 12:38:08 GMT -5
Go for it! I'm thinking of getting a new bike as well. I bought my hybrid four years ago. I haven't had a bike since I was a kid and wasn't sure how much riding I'd actually do, well, pretty much right away I wished I had just bought the road bike. So at some point soon I'm going to say fuck it and buy a road bike.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Jul 7, 2019 12:48:11 GMT -5
I'll tell you to go for it! Wish you lived closer to me. I see bicycles for sale here, gently used ones, all of the time. They ride them right on the sand on the beach. Looks like fun! I'd like to try it sometime. (But, we got rid of all of our bikes before we moved, so we'd have less to deal with.) Maybe we should go bike shopping together...
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Jul 7, 2019 13:20:14 GMT -5
Definitely get a bike! My only thought is see if there are any used available in the right size first - we've had good luck with used bikes, and better and cheaper if you can keep something out of a landfill.
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stillmovingforward
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Post by stillmovingforward on Jul 7, 2019 13:28:45 GMT -5
Do it! Life is too short not to.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jul 7, 2019 14:41:17 GMT -5
Yes. Go get the new bike!
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NancysSummerSip
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Joined: Dec 19, 2010 19:19:42 GMT -5
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 7, 2019 14:42:07 GMT -5
Aw, I knew I could count on y'all. And I was looking at $1500 to $2,000 as my spending amount, actually. Nothing really nuts, but something lightweight enough to lift on and off my car's bike carrier and make my aging butt a little more competitive.
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Artemis Windsong
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Post by Artemis Windsong on Jul 7, 2019 14:55:38 GMT -5
Go for it and post your successes for us! ! ! ding dong eaters on the couch . My bike is old which is okay since it's in storage. I am too tired to go bike riding along with all the other sports I do. No biggy things in sports but I do get tired. Biking was my main exercise before I started golfing. I seriously needed social interaction. After finding out the personality of a lot of people, I would have been better off riding my bike alone.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jul 7, 2019 18:24:58 GMT -5
The Senior Olympic thread, coupled with the fact that the Tour de France just started, got me thinking about getting a new bike. Mine is a hybrid (mountain bike/road bike) and heavy. It's been good to me, no issues, but if I want to compete seriously in the Games time trials (5K and 10K) and the distance events (20K and 40K), it won't happen on this bike. I wasn't looking at stupid money; I know people who spent more on building a custom bike than I spent for my car last year (you can spend five figures on just a titanium bike frame alone). But I still have the money I inherited from my mother. I was saving that for eventual cosmetic facial surgery (eye and neck lift), but that's not exactly a need, either.
I'm not facing other bills and I am still working. Life is good and paid for right now. My regular bike shop will do the right thing on pricing (I've been a longtime customer), and some of the components of my current bike can be switched over (lighting system, clips) and I am not splurging on new shoes or a helmet, either.
I think I need someone to tell me life is too short and to just go for it, because being competitive in old age is revenge on the people you know who have given up and are sitting on the couch scarfing Cheetos and Ding Dongs. Nancy, I spent more than 10 years racing bikes after college. So I’ve got some suggestions. Ask the salesperson if they race. If not, find someone who does race. They will have a better idea which bike frame will be most suitable for what you want to do. Resist the temptation to think you can buy a bike that is suitable for every purpose. A bike frame designed for touring is not suitable for racing. There is a reason why the pros have a stable of racing bikes. Each is special purpose. One for time trials, one for criteriums, one for climbing, one for cobbles, one for cyclocross. And a few more just because. Make sure your bike shop knows you need a racing bike (or as close to a racing bike as your budget will allow). Bikes for racing are very different from the bikes most people ride. You want a stiff frame with a tight rear triangle. The thickness of an index finger, or less, between the rear tire and the seat tube. This lets you put the power to the road instead of into flexing the bike frame. (I’ve followed bikes that flex so much that the rear wheel moving side to side looks like a dog wagging it’s tail. And those were good bikes. Not a Huffy special.) Since you are planning to ride relatively short distances, you probably want something as close to a time trial bike as you can get. I encourage you to spring for a pair of clipless pedals. They are much more efficient that pedals with toe clips. And your foot won’t slip out of the clips when you launch off the start line. Get a bike with easy to use shift levers. When I went to brake lever shifters, I found that I shifted much more often. And I found that shifting frequently made me enough more efficient that I increased my speed by about one mile an hour. About a 5% improvement. Your new bike should have narrow, high pressure tires. Tire pressure should be more than 100 psi. This makes the bike roll easier which translates into being faster. Harder tire = faster ride. Check and adjust your tire pressure every day. And especially on race days. Many tires will lose about 5 psi over night. Enough to slow you down a noticeable amount. If you can part with the money, get a pair of light weight racing tires. A lighter tire means you can accelerate faster and easier, which will increase your average speed while reducing fatigue. Practice your time trial starts. This is critical if you are not an experienced time trialer, who is used to having a holder. A powerful time trial start will reduce your time by 10 - 15 seconds as compared to a standing road race style start. You want to be off the saddle, putting power to the pedal when your start bell or whistle sounds. I suggest that you transfer the saddle from your current bike to your new bike. Or get a saddle identical to the one you currently use, for your new bike. Familiarity equals comfort and efficiency. At one point, I had five new saddles that I had taken off new bikes I had purchased. All of my bikes had the same saddle regardless of whether it was one of my racing bikes, the touring bike, the mountain bike, or the tandem. Practice riding on the drops. With your head and back flat. (If you can borrow a set of time trial bars, ever better. Just be sure to practice with them so you are comfortable riding flat out in a tucked position.) Time trials are about aerodynamics. Be as aerodynamic as possible. Good luck with your racing! Paraphrased from Lucky: If you have a good bike, that you ride regularly, you’re going to look so good that your guy isn’t going to care how much the bike cost. (Go ahead, buy that tricked out, high performance bike.)
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 7, 2019 18:52:29 GMT -5
The Senior Olympic thread, coupled with the fact that the Tour de France just started, got me thinking about getting a new bike. Mine is a hybrid (mountain bike/road bike) and heavy. It's been good to me, no issues, but if I want to compete seriously in the Games time trials (5K and 10K) and the distance events (20K and 40K), it won't happen on this bike. I wasn't looking at stupid money; I know people who spent more on building a custom bike than I spent for my car last year (you can spend five figures on just a titanium bike frame alone). But I still have the money I inherited from my mother. I was saving that for eventual cosmetic facial surgery (eye and neck lift), but that's not exactly a need, either.
I'm not facing other bills and I am still working. Life is good and paid for right now. My regular bike shop will do the right thing on pricing (I've been a longtime customer), and some of the components of my current bike can be switched over (lighting system, clips) and I am not splurging on new shoes or a helmet, either.
I think I need someone to tell me life is too short and to just go for it, because being competitive in old age is revenge on the people you know who have given up and are sitting on the couch scarfing Cheetos and Ding Dongs. Nancy, I spent more than 10 years racing bikes after college. So I’ve got some suggestions. Ask the salesperson if they race. If not, find someone who does race. They will have a better idea which bike frame will be most suitable for what you want to do. Resist the temptation to think you can buy a bike that is suitable for every purpose. A bike frame designed for touring is not suitable for racing. There is a reason why the pros have a stable of racing bikes. Each is special purpose. One for time trials, one for criteriums, one for climbing, one for cobbles, one for cyclocross. And a few more just because. Make sure your bike shop knows you need a racing bike (or as close to a racing bike as your budget will allow). Bikes for racing are very different from the bikes most people ride. You want a stiff frame with a tight rear triangle. The thickness of an index finger, or less, between the rear tire and the seat tube. This lets you put the power to the road instead of into flexing the bike frame. (I’ve followed bikes that flex so much that the rear wheel moving side to side looks like a dog wagging it’s tail. And those were good bikes. Not a Huffy special.) Since you are planning to ride relatively short distances, you probably want something as close to a time trial bike as you can get. I encourage you to spring for a pair of clipless pedals. They are much more efficient that pedals with toe clips. And your foot won’t slip out of the clips when you launch off the start line. Get a bike with easy to use shift levers. When I went to brake lever shifters, I found that I shifted much more often. And that shifting frequently made me enough more efficient that I increased my speed by about one mile an hour. About a 5% improvement. Your new bike should have narrow, high pressure tires. Tire pressure should be more than 100 psi. This makes the bike roll easier which translates into being faster. Harder tire = faster ride. Check and adjust your tire pressure every day. And especially on race days. Many tires will lose about 5 psi over night. Enough to slow you down a noticeable amount. If you can part with the money, get a pair of light weight racing tires. A lighter tire means you can accelerate faster and easier, which will increase your average speed while reducing fatigue. Practice your time trial starts. This is critical if you are not an experienced time trialer, who is used to having a holder. A powerful time trial start will reduce your time by 10 - 15 seconds as compared to a standing road race style start. You want to be off the saddle, putting power to the pedal when your start bell or whistle sounds. I suggest that you transfer the saddle from your current bike to your new bike. Or get a saddle identical to the one you currently use, for your new bike. Familiarity equals comfort and efficiency. At one point, I had five new saddles that I had taken off new bikes I had purchased. All of my bikes had the same saddle regardless of whether it was one of my racing bikes, the touring bike, the mountain bike, or the tandem. Practice riding on the drops. With your head and back flat. (If you can borrow a set of time trial bars, ever better. Just be sure to practice with them so you are comfortable riding flat out in a tucked position.) Time trials are about aerodynamics. Be as aerodynamic as possible. Good luck with your racing! Funny you should mention the saddle -- I planned on keeping the one I have for sentimental reasons more than anything else, but it was coming with me to the next bike. Clips I have now are the toeless kind. I hated them at first, but now I could never go back to the other kind.
I would love to have more than one bike (I may keep the bike I have, which is a perfectly good touring bike), but like I said, I was not planning to spend really stupid money. When I raced last year in my first time trials, I overheard a woman talking about her three bikes. I went home and checked online for the price of the frame on her time trial bike. It was $9,500. Half the price of my new car, for a frame. Altogether, her TT bike was probably at least as much as my new car, if not more. For someone like me, that's stupid money.
And everyone at my bike shop rides and races. Some just race bikes, while others do triathlons. The shop is well-known and highly respected and I've gone there for years for pretty much all my gear, including my current bike. So no qualms about giving them my business.
I currently have aero bars (T4+ Profile) and not drop bars, so that would take some getting used to, for sure.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jul 7, 2019 19:24:52 GMT -5
... Funny you should mention the saddle -- I planned on keeping the one I have for sentimental reasons ... I never rode competitively but have done the Seattle to Portland and the Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party (a couple of times) plus numerous century rides. Just saying it might be because I am male, but I never have had a sentimental attachment to a bicycle seat.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jul 7, 2019 19:31:21 GMT -5
Nancy, I spent more than 10 years racing bikes after college. So I’ve got some suggestions. Ask the salesperson if they race. If not, find someone who does race. They will have a better idea which bike frame will be most suitable for what you want to do. Resist the temptation to think you can buy a bike that is suitable for every purpose. A bike frame designed for touring is not suitable for racing. There is a reason why the pros have a stable of racing bikes. Each is special purpose. One for time trials, one for criteriums, one for climbing, one for cobbles, one for cyclocross. And a few more just because. Make sure your bike shop knows you need a racing bike (or as close to a racing bike as your budget will allow). Bikes for racing are very different from the bikes most people ride. You want a stiff frame with a tight rear triangle. The thickness of an index finger, or less, between the rear tire and the seat tube. This lets you put the power to the road instead of into flexing the bike frame. (I’ve followed bikes that flex so much that the rear wheel moving side to side looks like a dog wagging it’s tail. And those were good bikes. Not a Huffy special.) Since you are planning to ride relatively short distances, you probably want something as close to a time trial bike as you can get. I encourage you to spring for a pair of clipless pedals. They are much more efficient that pedals with toe clips. And your foot won’t slip out of the clips when you launch off the start line. Get a bike with easy to use shift levers. When I went to brake lever shifters, I found that I shifted much more often. And that shifting frequently made me enough more efficient that I increased my speed by about one mile an hour. About a 5% improvement. Your new bike should have narrow, high pressure tires. Tire pressure should be more than 100 psi. This makes the bike roll easier which translates into being faster. Harder tire = faster ride. Check and adjust your tire pressure every day. And especially on race days. Many tires will lose about 5 psi over night. Enough to slow you down a noticeable amount. If you can part with the money, get a pair of light weight racing tires. A lighter tire means you can accelerate faster and easier, which will increase your average speed while reducing fatigue. Practice your time trial starts. This is critical if you are not an experienced time trialer, who is used to having a holder. A powerful time trial start will reduce your time by 10 - 15 seconds as compared to a standing road race style start. You want to be off the saddle, putting power to the pedal when your start bell or whistle sounds. I suggest that you transfer the saddle from your current bike to your new bike. Or get a saddle identical to the one you currently use, for your new bike. Familiarity equals comfort and efficiency. At one point, I had five new saddles that I had taken off new bikes I had purchased. All of my bikes had the same saddle regardless of whether it was one of my racing bikes, the touring bike, the mountain bike, or the tandem. Practice riding on the drops. With your head and back flat. (If you can borrow a set of time trial bars, ever better. Just be sure to practice with them so you are comfortable riding flat out in a tucked position.) Time trials are about aerodynamics. Be as aerodynamic as possible. Good luck with your racing! Funny you should mention the saddle -- I planned on keeping the one I have for sentimental reasons more than anything else, but it was coming with me to the next bike. Clips I have now are the toeless kind. I hated them at first, but now I could never go back to the other kind.
I would love to have more than one bike (I may keep the bike I have, which is a perfectly good touring bike), but like I said, I was not planning to spend really stupid money. When I raced last year in my first time trials, I overheard a woman talking about her three bikes. I went home and checked online for the price of the frame on her time trial bike. It was $9,500. Half the price of my new car, for a frame. Altogether, her TT bike was probably at least as much as my new car, if not more. For someone like me, that's stupid money.
And everyone at my bike shop rides and races. Some just race bikes, while others do triathlons. The shop is well-known and highly respected and I've gone there for years for pretty much all my gear, including my current bike. So no qualms about giving them my business.
I currently have aero bars (T4+ Profile) and not drop bars, so that would take some getting used to, for sure.
Glad to hear that you’ve got a good racing shop to assist you. They are pretty few and far between. I’ve seen enough poorly fitted, unsuitable bikes from places such as Scheels that I tend to push people toward good bike shops with well qualified staff whenever I can. I think your existing aero bars are perfectly suitable for what you plan. The plus is it is equipment that you are already comfortable with. As you pointed out, a person can spend a ton on frames and components. But, they are just aids. The results really depend on the motor much more than the hardware.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 13, 2019 8:45:17 GMT -5
I am heading to the bike shop today to test-ride some bikes. I am keeping my current road bike (it's a good half-century/century bike; no reason to get rid of it) and I was already at the bike shop earlier this week to determine the type of bike. It will be another Trek, because of the frame size. I need a 15-inch frame, and that's the only manufacturer that has time trial bikes ready-made in that size. If I were going custom, I could have anything I wanted in terms of manufacturer. I will have to add the aero bars and saddle, possibly the clips as well. New shoes are likely (my current ones are a size too small. Seriously, my damned feet are a size 10 now.
I had to make space in my spare room for another bike, which meant a donation pile of stuff going to a local veteran's organization. They pick up Tuesday. I am happy to get rid of crap, so that is certainly another upside to all of this.
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ners
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Post by ners on Jul 13, 2019 8:56:10 GMT -5
I know I am late with my response. Go for it. Life is short.
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NancysSummerSip
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 19:19:42 GMT -5
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Today's Mood: Full of piss and vinegar
Favorite Drink: Anything with ice
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 13, 2019 15:53:36 GMT -5
An update -- I got the bike, but won't pick it up until after Tuesday, when the spare room is cleaned out. And I found something other than a Trek. I got a Felt. The way it happened: the store rep who was helping me asked if I wanted only a pure time trial bike, or something good for triathlon as well. I told him a tri bike would be good. That opened up the possibility of looking at another brand (OK, this one was a tick over my price point, but it's black on black, my favorite).
Of course, I knew I needed new cleats (my foot had grown a size and my cleats were worn), helmet (my safety rating on my current one expired), hydration system, lights front and back, saddle and the coolest floor pump (with tire pressure gauge built in). Cue the kid in the candy store. But it's a happy day. Heck, I was saving the money for plastic surgery. Even with the bike bill, I have money left over for my eye lift.
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Works4me
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Post by Works4me on Jul 13, 2019 16:02:44 GMT -5
Congratulations! Look at it this way, if you ride your new bike fast enough you won't need an eye lift - the wind will blow your entire face back. ETA - Remember, "Mommy, mommy, my pigtails are too tight?" Just told that one to Gizmo-pup while giggling like a school girl and now he's looking at me like I've list my mind. LOL
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NancysSummerSip
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 19:19:42 GMT -5
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Today's Mood: Full of piss and vinegar
Favorite Drink: Anything with ice
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 14, 2019 11:17:51 GMT -5
Congratulations! Look at it this way, if you ride your new bike fast enough you won't need an eye lift - the wind will blow your entire face back. ETA - Remember, "Mommy, mommy, my pigtails are too tight?" Just told that one to Gizmo-pup while giggling like a school girl and now he's looking at me like I've list my mind. LOL OMG!!!!!!! That is too funny! And yes, I remember the tight pigtails! I cleaned up the spare room enough to fit the bike comfortably. Nice to get rid of crap as well. The charity truck comes Tuesday.
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