cyclist riders story then question about a new bike

[05fjrBluedevil]

Hello,

I have decided to take up riding a bicycle again, it has been many years and i have always just bought the department store type bicycles....

last weekend after playing golf, I decided to take a ride on my mountain bike.. I have a nice area in which to ride road bikes, but not really mountain bikes....

So anyway, off I went riding around a little than took a left on this street that was going straight up, it seemed like i would never make it to the top, I decided to use a zig zag path and had the bike in its lowest gear, well i finally am approaching the top and since I do not have a helmet yet, I continuelly will look over my shoulder to make sure no cars are coming...

So out of the corner of my eye, i see another bicyclist coming up the hill(mountain), he is gaining on me rather quickly...

I say to myself, dam I have let myself get out of shape, so anyway as I finally reach the top, he is passing me by, just some young kid, no hands on the bars singing, listening to music as he goes by..... almost taughting me..... so I say to myself, I will catch this kid who has not a care in the world, do not worry he will tire and i will pass him up!!!!!!!

So, now lugging myself and my 50 pound cheap mountain bike with about half the air in the back tire as needed.... Teresa said to me prior to me pedalling away, you sure you do not need to put air in that tire, it looks kind of low, I said no it will be okay....

So as i am gaining on the kid, just pedalling along, singing a song, he looks over his shoulder as i guess he could here my music, and of course it gets out of the saddle and pedals away, so i say, just keep going, he will tire,,,, so I finally catch him again and this time i am looking at him and he is looking at me as i nose past him, then now we have reached the top and it all down hill for the next, half mile, so this kid with no care in the world, gets up and starts to pedal as fast as he can down the hill and I am saying, I am just not going to do that, he is crazy, I guess I must think i am not imortal any longer, so any way, I'll catch him again and then will see who gets to the stop sign at the end of this ride first, surley he will tire, so as i get to the bottom of the hill(mountain) and am ready to climb the next mountain;(.... I'm thinking I will just catch him, so up out of the saddle, I am pedally as fast as this out of shape body can go, I see him, i'm gaining, the hill is getting steeper, he gets out of his saddle, he is padalling , I am still gaining, and yet again the high gets steeper, yeah i got you now silly boy with out a care in the world..... well then i am out of gas, he pedals away, I half to get off the bicycle and start walking, legs are wobbly, man that boy with out a care in the world sure did have a great, new light weight road bike, I said to myself, if i could drop the extra 60 pounds i am carring around and then trade my 50 pound department store mountain bike for a light weight road bike I would have won.......so back on the bike and start to pedal, oh he was no where in sight so i see the stop sign and then here comes this giant snowser dog, just barking at me, have scared the crap out of me..... so anyway, i'm just trying to stay come since i am defensless against this beast... anyway i just tried to keep pedally and finally he went away, so I make it to the end of the street and get off the bike, then rest a moment and back on the bike to return home, so going back is not as bad as the ride out here, less hills to climb... so i made it......

Now, i am getting home yesterday and feeling good, it is 95 plus outside and I decided to do it again, so this time I air the tire up to 65 psi, then off i go, I really did well this time, climbing the hill at a better pace and making the second climb with out having to walk up the hill, no dog came out to bark at me, wow having a great day, so as I reach the end of the road i decided to make a left on hwy 42, ride it for 3.5 miles to my main access road and then ride the 3.2 miles back to the house, well everything going okay, riding isn't bad except for when the traffic wants to pass and I move over as far as i can and am riding on the right side of the white line on rumble strip cuts , so i decided to move back on the left of white line, man the traffic sure is close going by.... so I make it to my road, pedally along singing a song.... so by now my back is killing me, but i still have two plus miles to go, no way i'm stopping . i will not be able to get back on and ride home, so i am doing the best i can, then a couple of women on bikes are riding the other way, with there fast bikes and sleek clothes, helmets gloves etc, just looking at me like i am just crazy to be riding on this 50 puond plus bike, oh well the are gone now and i am struggling to get home, then next thing I now ten min, later they are gaining on me and passing me as they had made it out to the end of the road about a mile I guess and turned around and caught me, they jump up in their saddles and just pedal on by, on their fast bikes with their fast clothes and gear..... so i finally make it home, not bad about a ten mile bike ride, oh well need to weed eat now....

So here is the question, should i continue to struggle with this 50 pound plus oul mountain bike or is the bike that COstco has a special on right now a really great bike!!!!!!!!

I like to ride bikes and have not road in a long time, but since i really do not like to jog, and swimming is not possible, should I invest in a nice road bike as I would like to start riding a few times a week....

 

[stormrider]

Is this something you are going to continue?

If you are then bite the bullet and buy a good bike, not the Costco bike.

Go to a reputable bike dealer and get fit for a bike (first and formost)

A poorly fit bike will have you hating to go out and ride the thing.

entry level, quality road bike with good components will run you about a eight hundred to a grand. If you truly want light weight look at carbon bikes but the price jumps considerably.

Again go talk to a bike dealer. They will be able to help tailor a bike to your needs

 

[SPORT]

Sounds like you're extremely competative!

I too have been off my bike for 5 years now. I use to race amature road bikes (on a $1,200 Somec) then boutght a $1,000 Cananondale rigid frame Mt. bike. I've learned that the bike does not make the rider...but it sure helps. Fortunately today a $600-$700 bike uses nearly the same components as a $2,400 bike; the difference only being shaving a 1/4 lb or so at best.

Riding a heavy bike will strengthen you, but will limit the distance one will travel as it is a lot more to lug around. A lighter bike will generally take more from the wallet, but will ride smoother, be quicker on the acceleration, able to travel greater distances, generally less prone to breaking down, and if your into winning the Vasachi award, will make you look cooler. I would seriously consider clip-on pedals and clip-on riding shoes as it will help on the up-stroke. riding shorts stretch and breathe well and riding shirts, in addition to breating well, have pockets in the back for carrying a banana or a other snacks.

If you really want to brag then you'll need to shave your legs for aerodynamics and to reduce roadrash after a fall. :clapping:

Congrats on getting back into shape...and best wishes.

 

[Toecutter]

You can probably ride the Costco bike around for a month and return it if it isn't all that.

 

[BuilderBob]

What kind of a bike does Costco sell? Can't imagine that it is a lightweight racer.

 

[MsLilly]

I loved your story! I haven't been on my bike since we moved to Oregon. I was never a hill rider and I live about 900 feet up on a twisty road that is so steep I know I won't be able to even push the bike uphill!! Miss riding though. As for advice on the type of bike...Sport had some great points..the clip on pedals DO make a difference. You will get strong pushing that 50lb bike around but you will be surprised how nice it is to ride a good bike. Find a good bike dealer, go in and tell them what you are willing to spend and let them show you what is available in your price range. I worked at a bike dealer in So. Calif. for over 5 years and I learned so much while there (my husband said I had to work there so he could get a discount..most fun I've ever had at "work"). They can answer all your questions and give you the encouragement and advice you need!

 

[05fjrBluedevil]

I loved your story! I haven't been on my bike since we moved to Oregon. I was never a hill rider and I live about 900 feet up on a twisty road that is so steep I know I won't be able to even push the bike uphill!! Miss riding though. As for advice on the type of bike...Sport had some great points..the clip on pedals DO make a difference. You will get strong pushing that 50lb bike around but you will be surprised how nice it is to ride a good bike. Find a good bike dealer, go in and tell them what you are willing to spend and let them show you what is available in your price range. I worked at a bike dealer in So. Calif. for over 5 years and I learned so much while there (my husband said I had to work there so he could get a discount..most fun I've ever had at "work"). They can answer all your questions and give you the encouragement and advice you need!

Well , that's for all of the replies thus far.... this is great.... I have now been out looking at all of the bikes out there man they sure are expensive.... I have now ridden my bike for the 5 time yesterday in the searing heat here or at least heat index, each time I go out I am moving better, I do not know if the young man riding with no care in the world could pass me now on that hill, as I am now able to go up all the hills so much better, it is amazing how even after we really stop exercising that after a few times of doing something our bodies start to get use to the activity again....

well I went into my local trek dealer and worked with someone that has been riding for many years, I have also went out on line to look at the bikes and components, the guy spent a lot of time helping me answering questions and helping me find the right bike size that should fit me.... It was funny I picked up those bikes and they felt like a feather compared to my target special mountain bike.... So last night I decided to take the scale out and weigh my bike, me 212, me holding bike 252, so that is more than double the weight of those road bikes and the road bikes are geared differently, so when I reach top speed going down hills I am pedaling with now resistance, kind of like looking for that extra gear or two...

Then there's all these deals on the internet for bikes, but then where's the warranty when there is an issue????

Since you have worked at a bike shop maybe you could help answer a few things, there are double and triple cranks, which should be best for over all riding? is the triple crank gear such that you only gain at the lower or hill climbing gears or does it help on over all down hill and sprinting as well????

Do you ride with the clip on shoes??? have you ever had an issue getting out of the clips at low speed, say approaching a stop sign or going upgrade and missing a shift then being stuck and needing to get off the bike or fall over????

Just yesterday I decided to try and push it up on hill and had to get off the bike because once I reached a point where I could not push the pedals any more there was too much resistance on them to shift to a lower gear, so if I did that with the clip on shoes I can only imagine the impending dump....

I think I have decided that I would like to have at least carbon forks, front and back with aluminum frame or go complete carbon.... and no less then the 105 gear set and shifters, how slick are those skinny tires??????

I bet there is little resistance to turning them, but feel I could wipe out a lot easier on them.....

So now I just have to decide when, what & where to buy, seems for now that I will continue to ride my current bike for the next few months, unless I find a great deal, after looking at the bicycles I stopped by my local motorcycle dealer and saw a star for under 5 k, then there were bicycles at the shop for over 3 k,,,, that was funny, I once had a co worker years ago that had many bikes that were 3 and 4 thousand dollars each, I guess those are the 7k plus bike of today......

Well for others who are riding or have in the past, what type of road bike do you own and which components do you have or felt the need to upgrade....

do you ride hills and do you have a double or triple crank???

 

[05fjrBluedevil]

Sounds like you're extremely competative!
I too have been off my bike for 5 years now. I use to race amature road bikes (on a $1,200 Somec) then boutght a $1,000 Cananondale rigid frame Mt. bike. I've learned that the bike does not make the rider...but it sure helps. Fortunately today a $600-$700 bike uses nearly the same components as a $2,400 bike; the difference only being shaving a 1/4 lb or so at best.

Riding a heavy bike will strengthen you, but will limit the distance one will travel as it is a lot more to lug around. A lighter bike will generally take more from the wallet, but will ride smoother, be quicker on the acceleration, able to travel greater distances, generally less prone to breaking down, and if your into winning the Vasachi award, will make you look cooler. I would seriously consider clip-on pedals and clip-on riding shoes as it will help on the up-stroke. riding shorts stretch and breathe well and riding shirts, in addition to breating well, have pockets in the back for carrying a banana or a other snacks.

If you really want to brag then you'll need to shave your legs for aerodynamics and to reduce roadrash after a fall. :clapping:

Congrats on getting back into shape...and best wishes.

Well, I have always bought the cheap department store bikes, just because i could not justify spending that kind of money on a bicycle....

My mountain bike has a triple crank with 21 speeds i guess, As far as looking cool because i spent a lot of money on a bicycle, that is really not important to me, but dropping 40 or 50 pounds of excess weight i have been caring around for a few years will be great..... thanks and I hope to get back in shape before the end of the year, i will be turning 45 and feel like that longer I wait the better chance i have of gaining more weght and then never feel good enough to work it off....

Do you use those clip on shoes? ever wiped out trying to get out of them? how about walking around with them on? seems like that plastic clip might been prone to causeing your foot to slip out on a grade, at least the bikes aren't 650 pounds>>>>.

thanks for the information....

MIke

 

[05fjrBluedevil]

What kind of a bike does Costco sell? Can't imagine that it is a lightweight racer.

They have I think it was catalinas and some special other for around 650...

I guess one could go with one of those, but there are so many bikes out there, I just can not make up my mind right now...

 

[taterides]

Take Storms advice-get a proper fit and spend a little. It will be more fun and keep you interested. I have more money in 2 bikes than I do the FJR-it can get outta hand. :dribble: