Used to ride a lot back in the day. Weekly
mileages were in the realm of 140-150. Commuted to work back and forth, and a
long ride on the weekend. That sort of thing.
Bike riding is a charm, in that,
rewarding the effort you put forth? The scenery actually changes. Oh, it's true
that the scenery changes on a long run, too. But it happens much more gradually,
and at much greater expense of effort.
Biking has good sides and bad sides,
like everything I guess. In the good category, I've already touched on watching
the world go by. It's low impact too, an issue that becomes more and more
important as the underlying support infrastructure starts to age. You can
conveniently carry your water with you as you go, so long, multi-hour workouts
are more feasible. And truly, there's very little in the world so very well
designed for its purpose as is a road bike. In terms of turning human energy
into miles down range, it's hard to imagine a better
system.
The down sides? There's
freaks on the road, and at the speeds you're going, you could get seriously
hurt. Even without outside interference, it's not unknown for bicyclists to fall
and injure themselves - much more severely than your average trip and stumble
might cost you on a run. Few of us can run fast enough to more than
inconvenience ourselves by mischance. Also, there's a lot of gearing up for a
bike ride - shoes and cleats, shorts and shirt, helmet and sunglasses. And all
of that before you get to the bike itself. Once there, it's nearly inevitable
that one or both of the wheels will need a few throws on the tire pump. And
finally, there's this - how do I say it? Well - here it is: Long hours in the
saddle can pressurize a nerve in the nether regions that can leave the wedding
tackle feeling strangely non-responsive. Each time this happens, there is a
moment or two's terror that the sensation (or lack thereof) might be finally
irreversible. That this might be it. The big one. The
End.
Lance had prostate cancer, you
may remember. Almost killed him. I'm just
saying
In running, half the struggle
is merely lacing up the shoes. Biking has more
overhead.
But moderation in all
things, nu? And the scenery here can be so
beautiful.
Technology has moved along
so far since last I spent any significant time in the saddle, and prices have
raced to keep up. I had a perfectly respectable chro-moly bike back in 1990 that
simply will not do right now, for so many reasons. One of which, to be fair to
the bike, has to do with gross
weight.
Not the bike's weight.
Mine.
And chro-moly starts to flex
over time, the old bike has over 10,000 miles on it - it gets to where much of
your legs' energy is transmitted to frame flex and squeaking sounds rather than
moving the partnership down range. Which is frustrating. Carbon frames, a
ridiculous novelty the last time I was training for races, were ludicrously
expensive. Right now, I can't tell if the prices have come down, or whether a
inflation and augmented wage earning over the years have made what was
previously ridiculous seem eminently sensible. Some combination of the two,
perhaps.
In any case I rode three
carbon bikes, two with Shimano Ultegra set-ups and one with a hybrid of Dura Ace
and Ultegra (I love Campagnolo, but can't justify the extra expense).
And fell in
love.
The
Trek Madone 5.2 . This bike is so freaking sweet
- it's like a living thing underneath you, one that reacts to your inputs almost
before you realize you've made them. Give it the spur and it reacts like it
wants to beat you to the finish - like you'd better hold on tighter. Hit a tight
turn and it only asks for a line and a firm hand. Climbing is a dream, both in
the saddle and out, and although I only spent a half-hour on it, the last part a
long hard climb back up to the bike store, I turned it back in like I was giving
away one of my kids. I've never thrown a leg over anything like it before, and I
have to have it. The other bikes were fine, great, OK. This one was The Bike.
It's lust, is what it is.
But I
walked away, because you know what? It's pretty dern expensive, and I'm no Lance
Armstrong, so who the heck am I kidding? Plus, I decided long ago that anything
that came with a price tag which brought the blood to my face needed to be slept
over. So that's what I'm doing. I'm sleeping over
it.
But I'm thinking? This is going
to sting.
Posted @
07:51 PM
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Posted in
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Sendit
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Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." - John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Ceasar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friederich Nietzsche
