Holy Crap- and Here Goes Nothing!

New Guy Cycling Beginner's Notes, , , , , ,

Well,

This is the beginning of what I hope will be a great adventure!

I recently decided to get a Bicycle! This is after almost 16 years of not even owning a bicycle. A Friend at work asked if I would be interested in doing a Triathlon with him(don’t freak out too much, its only an Olympic Distance). I agreed. Went home and got registered, then sat back and relaxed. It was about ten minutes later that I looked at my Wife after I realized “… Umm, I don’t even have a Bike to Ride in this thing!!”. Her response? “Duh, you just figure that out?”(yep always the woman to make you feel good about yourself haha).

So there I am, now researching bicycle types and brands and accessories and needs and wants. I get to talking with a local Running buddy of mine, and he goes “Well, if you are getting a Bike, why not ride in the MS150 with us?”(the “US” being a group of people in Team Red White and Blue). Since I obviously think every word through before saying anything…. I naturally said “Yes, that’s sounds awesome!”. It was about five minutes later he told me that the 150 stand for One Hundred and Fifty Miles!

Another few weeks go by, I visit multiple Bike shops. test Ride every two wheeled contraption that will fit me(or not in some cases) and end up with a Felt Z7 Road Bike. So far I have put just under 200 Miles on it, and loving it! The open space, the roads and scenery, the amazing Cycling Community. They all seem like an extension of home to me.

(spoiler alert- Trekkies Beware!) These will be the Adventures of New Guy Cycling. Our Mission: To explore new roads and ride in groups never ridden before.

We will Learn. We Will Fall. And We Will get up and Ride Again!!

11 thoughts on “Holy Crap- and Here Goes Nothing!”

  1. Nice bike and at a decent price (holy cow!). I’m even a bit jealous of the 32 t granny gear (I’ve got a 10 sp. 11-28). Watch that 150, you’re going to have to eat a lot on that one.

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    • Thanks man. I am excited. Yeah the Compact Crank Set has served me well so far. Haven’t had a real chance to tackle hills… Yet. But that will come. haha. I am thinking of upgrading to 105 or ultegra near the end of the year. After I get some good miles on it and can appreciate an upgrade lol.

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      • Give it a couple of years and two chains. It’ll be time to change the cassette anyway and you’ll be getting close on the Sora shifters and maybe even the rear dérailleur. It’ll be worth it then. I’d get a good set of wheels first, that’ll drop the most weight and give you a big boost in speed. I hope you enjoy it man.

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      • Wow thanks! How many miles do you usually expect? I figured 1-2k miles would be a good time for a total change out. The Sora Shifters are nice. They are the newer kind. Sorry are STI’s instead of the old “thumb versions”.

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      • You bet… I get 5,000-7,000 miles out of a decent chain (I pay $50 for mine, SRAM) but I keep them exceptionally clean and use an insanely expensive chain lube (Boeshied T-9). I ride 6,000 miles a year, and I have a 16 year-old Trek 5200 with the original shifters. My Venge is just over a year old and the 105’s will last for at least 50,000-60,000 miles (105 is the workhorse for the Shimano line). BUT, with the new shifters, you’ll need new wheels anyway because you have an 8 or 9 speed… They don’t make 9 speed shifters in 105 or Ultegra anymore so that upgrade is going to get VERY expensive – new wheels, new cassette, new shifters and a new rear dérailleur (been through this already). Point is, get your miles out of it before you start upgrading stuff. That bike will be plenty good and fast as it is – and you even get internal cable routing! That’s a nice bike.

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      • Haha agreed. There may be smarter/better ways to do it. But I went to several different shops and just asked questions about the bikes, ride, style, etc. I also “tested” several, but for very short rides-1-3 miles maybe. I went with a bike that was pretty comfortable for me and was within my budget. They set it up and fitted it to me. I’ll tell you, so far so good! I’ll be making some posts about all that in the near future. I’m still figuring out how to make my page look less…… Shall we say “noobish” haha.

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