I am pretty depressed about it all but I know that I'll come back better than ever. For sure I'll end up with a late start to 2010 and I probably won't get decent until July or August but there are worse things. It's just kind of hard to lose the end of the season this way. I also wanted to bump up my world ranking a little and try to get in the top 25 or so now that can't happen this year.
Get Well Ryan. Take your time and make sure that pelvis heals correctly. It's better to give it some extra time and tender care than try to come back too fast and screw it up for life. Hunter
I'm a new road biker. My goal was 400 miles last month, and I made it!! Basically I did 8 fifty mile rides. How many miles do you guys do in a month?
Ryan, you will have to come do some motor pacing up in Boulder once it gets warm. Gateway was good last week, I'll do it again this week and then to Tucson. If you were in Tucson, then you would get fit quickly.
MC, Not quite ready for the speed. I have been bundling up and putting in some long slow days. Last Sunday (yes, the one with 36 mph gusts and 19 deg wind chill) I went out for 6.5 hours and 122 miles. I am thinking about Gateway next weekend, maybe on Saturday. Just a little test to see what's what. Are you going to be in Tucson then? No Tucson for me but I will get some warm weather as I am heading back to South Florida in a couple of weeks (Feb 13 to 22) to put in more miles. Not a lot of intensity, just miles. It will probably be a 35 hour week. It's a good place for it since I might jump in a couple of group rides since they're not very hard. Still, I wouldn't mind some long climbs and Tucson would be good since I would like to give the shootout a go and see where I am to start the year. As of now, I'm scheduled to start the season the first weekend of March in CO. You?
Those are long days, congrats on reaching your goal! As a Masters 40-49 I'm doing 10-14hrs/week, targetting ~2hr races (Canadian Nationals RR in July). Carmichael's latest book has gains possible with a very focused 6hrs/week, although I doubt many people can be that disciplined without a coach. A Pro like Sherpa, @ 35hrs in a week, "slow" base building @ 20mph avg, is a lot of miles in a month. I think it was Qatar, Team Columbia was claiming the peloton was clocking along at 71km/h at one point, on the flats. Hope your pelvis is holding together for FL Ryan!
Damn, 44mph on the flats is fast. I don't think I've done 44 on the downhills. I just read a story of a family of 5 on 1 bike, riding from Kentucky to Florida to Alaska. They were in Newport Beach, CA this weekend. Yes I said 1 bike. It's a 5 seater. Crazy! http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2010/02/16/publicsafety/dpt-harrison021610.txt
I got into bikes in the late 80's and Ti was the magic material at that time. The first time I got Ti bike I was wowed by the ride quality (coming from steel and Al). So the next 4 bikes are also Ti. Then I got CF/Ti (Merlin) which I liked so my next bike was CF (Kestrel). Didn't like the Kestrel so much and sold it. I might give CF another try in the future... maybe Colnago, Look, or Cervelo.
So I have been road biking for the past few months, and its time to upgrade my bike. I've been looking into Fujis, and have fallen in love with them. I am looking at getting a Fuji Robaix 2.0. But I am wondering if there are any alternatives out there. Please note that the max that I am willing to pay is around $1,200 and I will be saving for a few months(I'm 16). I want something that will last! Rob Edit: Brake integrated shifters are a must for me! I hope to be doing racing with it at some point.
I don't know anything about Fuji bikes. I've always been comfortable with the Trek and Specialized bikes.
$1,200 is light for a racing suitable bike; sorry - but that's the way it is. You'll also need quality shorts, and quality shoes/cleats. And if racing - you'll need to replace a bunch of stuff quite often as the miles add up. cassette's and chains, brake pads, wheels, tires, tubes, saddles, and whatever brakes. Buy what you can afford to maintain, buy some basic tools and a book on how to maintain it. Ultimately - I believe a racing bike is a tool to get the job done. It's you that makes the bike; your training, your attitude, your enthusiasm, and your spirit. It's a fantastic sport - find a group to ride with, and see if you can get fast enough to beat us old guys! Personally, I think Specialized is the top of the heap - good enough for the top two TdF riders, and a great commercial. I'd prioritize as: tires, wheels, groupset, and frame - in that order, imo. Frame manufacturer's is far down the list. Good luck, and post your first race results!
Thanks for the info! I wish I had a few k's to drop on a racing bike, but when your 16 and earning minimum wage your options are pretty thin! Shorts and clothing are a non-issue, as my parents are will to cover all the clothing and apparel costs. I have found a local group to ride with, and look to join ASAP. I will look into Specialized bikes too! Thanks! What do you recommend as far as tires and wheels go?
fantastic parents! One of the kids in our group got sponsored by a local team, and @ 17 yo is now riding on a team provided Trek Madone 6, came 3rd in Nationals, and just placed very well in a huge race in Europe (Omloop Hett Volk)! Nothing but hard work and great attitude . No reason you can't either. Most important factor, is get a bike that FITS. I don't care if it's made of playwood - if it fits, you'll have more fun. When I was a bit older than you, I just had to have a shiny cool road bike - but it was massively too big for me, and turned me off riding for 20 years. Shame on the bike shop that sold it to me, but lots will, especially. Even if you have to pay for a professional fitting. Best $'s you'll ever spend (along with a quality helmet - ask how I know ). I'm in a different price category than you, but I'm happy with the Shimano Ultegra wheels I just picked up - fantastic value imo. I like solid gear that every shop can work on, nothing funky for my racing bike - that's what the Ferrari's for. I've also had good experience with Michelin Pro3 tires, and avoid the racing tubes - weight saving's minimal for the cost/risk imo. Shimano's given me awesome support so far, YMMV. Tires are a personal decision as you get used to what you like and don't like - and depends on the road surface/weather/riding style/preference... The bad news is you'll be replacing them regulary, the good news is you'll have lots of chances to try different tires . Although I just got 3,600km's out of my last set - a new record for me. previous set only lasted 500km in the mess of the winter roads. I've ridden quite a few great wheels - but for the $'s, I'd rather invest in my training than more expensive gear that's obsolete in a year or two. Check out the Shimano Di2 kit fyi - I'm on a used Solis Nitro frame (made by Orbea - also a good frame maker) with a Shimano Pro fork (great fork!). I'm not a fan of used racing bikes - there's so many things that can go wrong with bikes that end very badly. I trust the previous owner with my life, and it's worked out well. I had a Trek 5.5 before, and this blows the Trek away.
you might consider a used race bike. they depreciate a bunch. I was actually surprised that my new Trek wasn't much better than my 10 year old 5500 that got hit by a car. The new Trek is slightly lighter (1-1.5 lbs), but overall seems more fragile and not sure the Dura Ace has improved much in 10 years. That new bike is $5k+. You could give a several year old Madone with Dura Ace for less than a couple thousand I think. I think that would give you a 4x better bike than equivalent priced new bike.
Yep, agreed. Go used. I just picked up a used alum/carbon De Rosa built in 2007 with full Campy Centaur Carbon and Mavic Open Pro wheels for under the $1200 limit you mentioned. Weighs about 17lbs, rides great after a tune-up. A few scrapes and scratches, but structurally sound and probably the best bike I've owned. Cost new? $3800 fully built. Just make sure whatever you buy actually fits you. The bike I considered new in the same price range was the Felt F75. Race-oriented Geometry, alum/carbon construction and full Shimano 105. It was nice, but weighed 21 lbs and just didn't have the quality feel to it that the De Rosa gave. With Ferraris and bicycles, buying used will often give much better value (assuming it's been taken care of). Depreciation is just too huge on both.
