I have a new bike....

[Maureen Valley]

Hi, everyone. My bike is in. I went to Minnesota a few weeks ago and selected a bike from my brother's shop. (Mike's Bikes, Northfield, Mn.) and now have under my tree a brand new 2007 Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD. Wow...I've never had a bike like this and just took it out for a test spin today.....adding a whopping 5 MPH to my overall speed which up til now was hovering around 10 MPH on my Trek Hybrid. I felt like I was on a starship...effortless peddling and aerodynamically right on the mark. I'm still getting used to the 30 gears so will reserve the mastering of the clipless pedals for another time. Perhaps next week. For the time being....I'm getting used to dropped handlebars....super skinny tires....and the overall feel of this wonderful machine.

Anyway....I've read your various posts on your new bikes....and can now share in the excitement of knowing what it's like to have a brand new, shiny, state of the art bike of my very own. I feel like a little kid.

Happy Holidays to all:
Maureen
Eustis, Florida

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maureen, that is WONDERFUL! I share in your joy over the feeling of that perfect machine under you, clicking and purring in it's glittering newness. :p

[Maureen Valley]

Oh, thank you Lisa. You said it far more eloquently than I....

...clicking and purring.

Pure poetry.

;)

[Bikingmomof3]

Congratulations Maureen! BTW, I spent quite some time in Northfield, MN. :)

[margo49]

Wot Lisa sed...
Lovely
Tailwinds to ya

[HillSlugger]

Congrats, there's nothing like that new bike glow. Please post a picture!

[East Hill]

Makes you feel like a kid again, eh? The dropped bars and skinny tyres are easy to get used to, although I remember when I first got my Nishiki Prestige (which has a Terry-style smaller front wheel) that it felt very odd for about half an hour. And just wait until we get you into those vintage road bikes with stem or downtube friction shifters...sometimes I get back on my Specialized Dolce Elite and can't remember how to use the brifters for about 15 seconds or so because I have gotten so used to the friction shifters on the other bikes :D .

Just a little over a week to go and counting...

East Hill

[Bad JuJu]

Woo-hoo--new bike for Christmas! Isn't it exciting? We wanna see pix!

I think you're right to master one new skill at a time. I did the same with my new bike, spending some time getting used to using brifters vs. my old barend shifters, and holding off on the clipless pedals until about a month later. I still love my older touring bike, but I'm so much faster on my Bianchi Veloce that I had to check the calibration on my computer--I thought I couldn't possibly be going that fast. Guess what? I was!

Enjoy your new best friend!

[cosc]

Maureen, what a good girl you must have been. A new bike for Christmas is the best!:D Enjoy.

[eclectic]

Awesome! the best Christmas gift ever!

I know you will just love it and become even more addicted than you are right now.
Look out world HERE COMES MAUREEN !

[Maureen Valley]

You are all too funny....love the various responses. We can certainly all relate to the joys of having a brand new shiny bike that performs miracles in spite of the ineptness of the rider. I will post a picture once I figure out how to do it.

Happy Holidays to all,
Maureen

[DirtDiva]

I knew I should have got a bigger Christmas tree! :p

Enjoy the new wheels. :)

[IFjane]

Congrats Maureen! Enjoy that little kid feeling for as long as possible. What color is it? What color is your bar tape? Have fun!!

[spokewench]

Wohoo - Great Bike and Great Fun to get it under the Christmas tree.

I can still remember my first road bike - grey and yellow Trek 1000 - still have the picture somewhere in front of the tree! What a feeling - I was so proud of that bike

Enjoy your new trek. You are truly hooked now

[Maureen Valley]

Ok, ladies...here is a pic of Boo...named after a cat I once had that purred all the time. Boo purrs when we ride.....I can thank Lisa for that one!!!

So....if I can download this thing....(forgive me if it doesn't turn out)

PRESENTING....."BOO"

[Maureen Valley]

yeaaaaaahhhhh...it Worked!!!:d

[Tri Girl]

ooooooooo...she's so purty! She's really quite a beauty! Enjoy many rides with her!!!!!
pppuuuuurrrrrrrr (I think she's probably just as happy as you are). :)

[missymaya]

Merry Christmas to you Maureen! I remember getting my first road bike and I was in heaven (it was a low end Giant OCR3). When ever I get anything cycling related for Christmas, I go nuts. Congrats!

[Maureen Valley]

Thank you all for your encouraging comments. It's been fun sharing my new best friend with you....nothing like a bunch of girlfriends to really 'GET' it.

Maya....are you a member of the Florida Freewheelers? Will you be at the Winter Park ride on Saturday??

Maureen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wow, she's.....BOOtiful!!!

(and Boodha sitting in the background there thinks so too!)

;)
:rolleyes:

[suzieqtwa]

I have my TREK 2.1 wsd in lay away now...I will probably get it out in a couple of weeks. The saddle looks different than I remember mine being...is it cut out? I decieded to go clip less right from the start...get the falls over with. Im also now riding a TREK hybrid. Congratulations !!!!! I imagine its a lot easier going up hills. Riding a hybrid has made me strong. Have fun...(Oh ,I have a white kitty named Boo also).
Suzie

[Maureen Valley]

Suzie...yes my saddle is cut out. I frankly dreaded the 'stock' saddle as I'd heard alot of negatives about it. Well....it's like wearing a glove, if that's possible on one's ....uh....tush. Now, granted, the most I've ridden is 18 miles on this bike without a break....but at the end of those miles I felt no pressure...numbness...nada. I love the saddle. As for clipless....I'm about ready to take them on. I had all I could to to get used to being on such a skinny bike from my (guess what!) Trek Hybrid 7000. Yikes. I'm reeling over the difference. I feel like a rocket ship on the 2.1. You will love it.

Show us pix when it come in, will you? Is yours a 2007?

Maureen

[suzieqtwa]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait to get mine out. Im riding a trek 7.2 FX now. As far as the dreaded saddle....(let me know)...they say after 20 miles?? :eek: Ok...Im going out for a ride in the dark,and rain......keep me informed on your saddle.
Suzie

[Maureen Valley]

Suzie...we'll keep in touch as to saddles...Boo Kitties and other things. I tried to email you privately to ask what airline you work for...and was blocked...so here I am using this forum!!!!

I'm a retiree of NWA and as we all know....those of us with airline experience can exchange horror stories all night. I was in the World Club with NWA for 10 years. Have been gone since 1999 and miss the co-workers but not the daily hassle. Loved the girls I worked with, though and did stints in MEM, JFK and PHX. The travel was superb....and that I miss also. Now I buy tickets...but at least I get on a plane...none of this stand by business anymore.

Best,
Maureen

[tygab]

Congratulations on Boo. What a sweet ride :) I can say that because I have one too (named Esmerelda). Enjoy your new bike, and don't get too frustrated with the clipless, it will come - we all have/had to go thru it.

Let's see, the 10 things I wish someone had told me when I started cycling last year... don't know if any of these will help..

1. Set your tension on the pedals nice and low, especially to get started (they can be adjusted with a hex wrench).
2. Figure out which side feels more natural to stop to first (which foot do you want to put down).
3. Cycling shorts do make a big difference
4. Going uw-less in the shorts is the norm (but it does feel strange at first, now I am used to it and it feels weird not to which I do on certain ahem times of the month).
5. keep your knees warm when riding below 55ish F.
6. Use easier gears and spin faster rather than harder gears that make you push a lot (save those for the downhill. Think "float like a butterfly!"
7. Get a computer, it's invaluable to know stuff like your speed, mileage, ride time. may not seem that way at first.
8. Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty. You will need to find out what this is to you, but I seem to need a snack of decent proportions every 22ish miles. And have a swig of water every 15-30 mins.
9. Shift early and often for the uphills. That's related to #6, but basically try to keep the pressure light uphill and your pedal speed the same.
10. It's ok to have fun! [I didn't start having fun on the bike until a few months in, and then it was like, hey, this is kind of neat!]

Hope some of these are new inputs to you...

[Maureen Valley]

tygab: All good advice....some of the things I've put into play, such as my new biking shorts. Let me say....I no longer have a 'time of the month'...thank God...one of the benefits of being my age!! LET'S HEAR IT.

I'm also in Florida...so temps of 55 rarely come my way. It's in the 70's today and Boo and I are about to hit the West Orange Trail for a 20 miler.

Thank you so very much for the advice....and to everyone for responding so favorably to my little announcement. I adore this forum....by women and for women.

Best to all:
Maureen