New toy - Updated!
Ok, for the 3 of you that still come here to read my blog, you may be aware that I've become a little obsessed with cycling. Or perhaps more than a little. You hear about those golf fanatics that spend every waking moment waiting for the next time they can hit the links or try and make that shot? Well, I get up every morning and it's either a "boy this would be a great day to go biking" day or "can't wait till the weather gets better so I can bike" day. Many of the minutes in between biking are spent dreaming about biking.
So, to that effect, I've realized I probably need a road bike. I have a very good mountain bike and it's great for riding with the family (particularly the Wife), going on trails, and generally anything that isn't dedicated road riding. I have been riding it on the road (I've got a nice 12 mile circuit I like). I can go at a pretty good clip and average about 15.5 miles per hour. There's only one problem.
I could go faster. Riding a mountain bike on the road is like driving a lifted pickup truck on the highway. It goes along well enough, but there's a lot of road noise and you need more power to keep your speed. That's why they make road bikes that are light with skinny tires and wheels that spin really easy. Basically at the same cadence (speed you're pedalling) you can go about 4 to 5 miles an hour faster on a road bike than a mountain bike. The other reason I know I need a road bike is that on some downhills, I'm in the hardest gear my bike has, and I'm pedaling too easy. Meaning I need a still harder gear to get more speed. (See a theme here?)
So, since Ellen's nephew happens to work for Jamis bikes, he got me his discount on a Jamis Ventura Race road bike. 19.75 pounds (compared to almost 30 on my mountain bike). FAST baby. And it looks ultra cool. It shipped to a local bike shop yesterday so I'm waiting for it to arrive. Here's a picture of my new baby. I anticipate many good miles together.
Update: Here's a picture of me WITH my new toy!
So, to that effect, I've realized I probably need a road bike. I have a very good mountain bike and it's great for riding with the family (particularly the Wife), going on trails, and generally anything that isn't dedicated road riding. I have been riding it on the road (I've got a nice 12 mile circuit I like). I can go at a pretty good clip and average about 15.5 miles per hour. There's only one problem.
I could go faster. Riding a mountain bike on the road is like driving a lifted pickup truck on the highway. It goes along well enough, but there's a lot of road noise and you need more power to keep your speed. That's why they make road bikes that are light with skinny tires and wheels that spin really easy. Basically at the same cadence (speed you're pedalling) you can go about 4 to 5 miles an hour faster on a road bike than a mountain bike. The other reason I know I need a road bike is that on some downhills, I'm in the hardest gear my bike has, and I'm pedaling too easy. Meaning I need a still harder gear to get more speed. (See a theme here?)
So, since Ellen's nephew happens to work for Jamis bikes, he got me his discount on a Jamis Ventura Race road bike. 19.75 pounds (compared to almost 30 on my mountain bike). FAST baby. And it looks ultra cool. It shipped to a local bike shop yesterday so I'm waiting for it to arrive. Here's a picture of my new baby. I anticipate many good miles together.
Update: Here's a picture of me WITH my new toy!
Comments
Okay this question begs to be asked.... so Rocker Guy, are you even more obsessed with bikes than with guitars now?
*wink*
How is your course coming along?
I will ALWAYS read your blog, dude. :-)
Have a great weekend!
Summer course is going well! Got 100's on the first assignments and waiting for more grades. I've got all the work done for the first 6 weeks worth of assignments and it's the beginning of week 5. I hope to wrap up all my work by the end of next week.
Hope you have a good weekend too!
.....speaking of handles, OMG you sold a guitar for your bike!!
Guess that answers my question! :)
Jude: Oddly, I got the shoes (and the helmet) before I got the bike. Of course, my other bike is white with red and black, so it all goes Did you notice the bag color coordinates?