|
NBD - New Bicycle Day
I'd pretty much resigned myself to the notion that my days of serious cycling were behind me so I bought a seven-speed cruiser bike. I suppose that there are folks for whom a cruiser is just the ticket, but clearly not me. Last weekend's Memorial Day discount from TREK was the catalyst I needed to go online bike shopping. I'd previously owned a TREK DS4 (Dual Sport) and really liked it. The 2019 model is much improved (with a price to match), but buying and selling guitars somehow eases the pain of purchasing a $1000+ bicycle. Picked up my new steed yesterday and couldn't be happier. It's ideal for casual road and gravel road riding and is pretty perfect for my needs. I know what I'll be doing this summer....
|
Looks like a sweet ride, RP. I don't bike anymore but I'll get out on the hiking trails this summer.
Do you have any day / half-day trips planned? Or is it go out for an hour or so. |
Very nice looking bike, Very sleek! Enjoy,
|
Enjoy, RP.
|
Quote:
|
Beautiful, RP... congrats! I'm on my second Trek... love 'em.
Ride it in good health. |
There’s nothing better than a NBD, enjoy it and ride in good health.
I picked up 2 new bikes over the past few weeks. A gravel bike and a new XC race bike. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cab27b9501.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...75a9b41b10.jpg |
Cannondale... love those too! My first really sweet bike was a Cannondale. It was a joy.
|
Happy N+1 day. Don’t think that you’re too old to ride aggressively though. I see guys in their 70s blowing past me on their narrow tires.
I have a Marlin 7 (3x9 hardtail that is advertised as an entry level trail worthy bike) and did 49 miles on paved trail a few weeks ago. I was pretty winded because the bike and I together weigh about 250 pounds but then this white haired/yellow jersey blue whooshes past me. I inquired on a cyclists forum and determined that I encountered a “Fred”. I now know what I want to grow up to be. So enjoy. Let the silver hair fly and unzip that yellow jersey. Get out and ride that sucker and you too can be a “Fred. As for me, I’m thinking of converting the 3x9 to a 1x9 to drop some weight and stay in the trees and out of the hot sun. |
Quote:
|
Thanks to all for good wishes. I was never a competitive cyclist although I became accustomed to riding long distances in the woods while researching Mountain Bike! Virginia. As for those Cannondales, I'm sure they're great bikes but I just can't get accustomed to the look of those one-sided front suspensions. And yes, if you look closely enough, you'll recognize my visage on the cover....
|
We boys must have our toys eh? (and I'm certainly not knocking it!)
Some people are perfectly happy with one guitar, I have ... many, for differing purposes, but only one bike. My stepson is bike mad and has a shedful, each one for different purposes, to be fair he commutes to work and back daily , a round rip of about 15 miles, and in all weathers. Physical guy, works at a race course, and loves the open air. He made my bike for me, a '90s Kona Cindercone steel frame and everything else from ??? I love it dearly, but my off roading or long riding days are over, but it still feels like a sports car to me. |
Looks like a sweet cruiser RP, enjoy.
|
It's been awhile since I had a NBD--I tend to keep my bikes as long as I keep my acoustic guitars--but I sure love riding mine. At my age and condition, a long walk (or even a lot of standing) is uncomfortable, but a bike ride feels great and I feel it helps my arthritis in general (including my hands) as well as my general mood.
My main ride is an older touring bike with wider tires (700x42) which is also comfy riding around town. For winter and the one time I tried some singletrack off-roading, I have my newest bike, a 3 year old fat bike with 4 inch tires. For nostalgia's sake, I have a 1951 Raleigh Sports that I bought in 1978. In general I'm a big user of "un-skinny" tires. Smoother ride without the need for suspension, better flat avoidance, braking and handling, and really not that big a performance/efficiency hit as was once believed. Anyway, there's no requirement for cycling to be "serious" and to the degree that serious doesn't mean fun I'm not sure I'm in for it. Enjoy your new ride! |
Congrats! Here's my new gravel bike, a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross:
https://i.imgur.com/U2QGlyNl.jpg Happy trails, RP! |
I bought a wonderful 1970s Japanese 10-speed bike from a client for $85.
Works fine, lasts a long time. ;) |
Hah! Me, too.
My last two bikes are sooooo last century - a Holdsworth Mistral that I built up from the spokes in ‘78, and a Trek Singletrack 970 that I bought in ‘97. I went for a 2020 Specialized Roubaix Sport (disc) in “Dusty Turquoise” for my welcome-to-retirement ride. My, how technology has changed in only 40 years. |
Quote:
|
Nice. That's a very nice series of bike. You get some sure feeling MTB posture, lots of general capability, and drop bars are not for everyone.
I'm not stopping going after the off road riding until it stops me. Guitar acquisition is well under control here but right now we have parents and twin teenagers who all ride and share the same fleet of bikes. Anyone who can ride should. Enjoy it in good health! |
I bought the same Trek DS 4 about 3 months ago. It's a great bike. Enjoy.
|
Quote:
|
1 Attachment(s)
I love these posts. Interesting demographic, we all seem similar in many ways. I was very much into biking when I was in my teens and early 20's, 45 years ago. I haven't had a nice bike for years, so a couple of months ago, not knowing too much - but enough - I went into a LBS (Local Bike Store), gave them my specs and they came up with a Trek Checkpoint ALR 5. Light (22lbs) and comfortable. Never thought I'd spend this much on a bike - actually reminds me of my guitar habit - but such is life.
I live near Jupiter, FL and there are lots of nice places to ride. Route 1 goes for about 10 miles north of me with beautiful views of the ocean, and when it's not 95 degrees or raining (much of the case in South Florida right now) it's a blast! |
I used to be really into cycling 20 years ago. I did road races and mountain bike races. Cycling was still kind of “underground” in my town back then. In those days we used to sneak onto private property to ride trails. Now the county has a huge, super fun, well-maintained mountain bike park with a parking lot, trail maps, and even restrooms (porta Johns). It’s gone mainstream.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
Quote:
The other beautiful thing is hydraulic disk brakes on drop bar bikes. I fought hard against the inner weight weenie and surprised myself with how much I love our Salsa Fargo and Kona Sutra. They've been great for adventures but have also cut out 2 - 15 miles a day that used to be in a car. A lot of people think about a battery for hybrid but we've made that a bike. Heck with any ideas to save money or the planet. I earn a beer or cookie going to and from work or an errand. Everyone here who's not been pedaling should get back at it. It's an instant trip to being a kid. It can be as useful as it is fun. The product and quality choices are incredible. Back in the day you needed to look at high end just for things to work well. It's a lot like my feeling you don't have to get the best to have a good guitar in this era. :) My wife's and my closest to NBDs, and machines that have had far more use than we ever expected. https://i.imgur.com/N4sEFM6.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xkVTwUJ.jpg |
"Everyone here who's not been pedaling should get back at it. It's an instant trip to being a kid. It can be as useful as it is fun. The product and quality choices are incredible."
Completely agree. It's an instant trip to being a kid. Yes. I think my last high end bike was a Peugeot UO2 from the 70's. That one had rat trap pedals though :-). I smile when I get on the bike and smile again when I look at my fitbit app when I get home. |
Quote:
FWIW I was A/B'ing the OP's bike with my Marlin 7 and see lots of similarities - and maybe even a little overlap - between the two. At about $350 I think I made a good choice with the Marlin 7 as the frames/geometry are strikingly similar. I really like the 29" tires, but at the same time I am extremely jealous of the Deore 2x10 M6000 groupset on the DS4. Being 4 pounds lighter than mine with better gearing ratios the OP would certainly blow by me lol! EDITED to add pics of my own: Between my wife and I we have THREE Treks; we are Trekkies. Live long and prosper. Here are my two. I'm waiting for my son to grow into the 4900 so that we can hit a co-op and overhaul it: https://live.staticflickr.com/7895/4...a58ec8_z_d.jpg Here's my new one all gritty: https://live.staticflickr.com/7819/4...ed652a_z_d.jpg |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Chat about the old European and them Japanese bikes strike me. The Raleigh I got as a teen was a big deal and started something that never really ended. Parting with my savings sticks in my memory. Anyone who knew those should love these modern on/off pavement bikes. A lot of people are getting e bikes too. I don't absolutely dislike them as some do, but for now take pride in my younger brother and his woman on e bikes barely able to keep up with our self-powered pedaling and bike handling. :) |
1 Attachment(s)
My first bike was a Schwinn Stingray. I lived on that thing. That was THE COOL bike back then. I think it just came out and all the kids in the neighborhood had one.
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:01 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum