Finally did it....BIG upgrade!

[wiseowl]

I had been waffling on getting a road bike for the whole season. I started riding two years ago to recover from running injuries...and discovered I liked biking a LOT better. Since I was never athletic until a few years ago, I have a hard time believing I "deserve" fancy gear. My first bike got me over Fear of Biking, and I love her, but she never really fit and my hands always went numb on her. So my LBS guy calls to say Giant has a very good deal on an XXS OCR...in carbon. I never even considered carbon...but here she is! I have just been riding her around my road so I can get used to her. She looks like a tiny little circus bike, but she fits me perfectly. You can take off like a rocket on the 650 cc wheels.
http://homepage.mac.com/mr.chuckwise/NEWBIKE.jpg

I still feel like kind of a poser, but I sure do like her. :)
Here is the old bike, so you can see the significance of the upgrade.
http://homepage.mac.com/mr.chuckwise/OLDBIKE.jpg

[spokewench]

She's great You are going to have soooooo much fun:D

[mimitabby]

you definitely deserve it! enjoy the new bike.

zoooooooooooooom

[abvnx]

sweet! shes a real beauty, congrats:D

[Zen]

I thought this was going to be a thread about divorce or a new bf.

I like the way the frame curves on the inside.

I was looking at both photos and trying to imagine what the Trek would look like with drop handlebars...the geometry looks similar.

[sbctwin]

Nice looking bike. I have a blue Bella Lightspeed with 650 wheels. I love her. I hope you have many enjoyable miles on her....

[Aquila]

Wow, that's some gorgeous machine! Enjoy!

[Mr. Bloom]

congrats!

Sounds like you and Silver have similar "stories"

What size frame is that?

[Starfish]

You are not a poser, you're a cyclist! You deserve it!

Beautiful bike!

[wiseowl]

The frame size is XXS in giant's compact road geometry. I am 5' with a 27.5 inseam, so there are not bike choices galore out there for me, especially not in the rural area we live in. It looks insanely teeny in person, but there you have it! The fit is great- I never found a bike before without a, um, "intimidating" top tube. My mountain bike has .5 inch of standover clearance- I have gotten good at leaping off of it while kind of tossing it to the side to avoid serious injury rather than the slight pain I do end up with.
The geometry between the old and new bikes are very different, even though the road bike isn't race geometry. It doesn't show that well in the photo, but the old bike was set up so I looked like I was going down the road sitting on a chair!

[lph]

oooh, beautiful :)

Congratulations! Have fun and go fast!

[rij73]

Sweet! Enjoy!

[Look]

Wiseowl,
I also share a similar story. Arthritis in the knee ended all dreams of a marathon but I fell back in love with biking after a long hiatus.

I skipped the trial bike though. I rode my Look and it felt like MINE. So I went for it. It's a little embarrassing when people notice the novice on a bike that inspires great devotion. But there are reasons great bikes inspire great devotion. They make it so much fun! Grown women CAN have dessert first.

And your point about fit cannot be overemphasized. Fit is everything. My fit issue is the opposite, I'm 6' with a 35" inseam. But I don't have the reach or upper body strength a man my height would. So it may have been easier to find a bike, but the fit still had to be tweaked. Love my LBS!

Enjoy your pretty bike!

[Trek1500]

That's a great looking bike. Enjoy it.

I also started riding after a series of running injuries...and I like cycling a lot more than running now, too. :)

[northstar]

You are not a poser, you're a cyclist! You deserve it!

Beautiful bike!

DITTO! :) :)

[Kano]

VERY cool, Wiseowl!

My story's a little like yours -- I didn't consider carbon when I started thinking about the road bike. Not that we don't deserve "fancy," but it seems like carbon is the move up from the entry level road bike, right? For me, the price was to die for and the fit was right, and yeah, I think you're going to love your new bike as much as I love mine!

Karen in Boise

[Ladyrunner]

Awesome new bike!! Happy riding!

[RoadRaven]

Yay!!! Wiseowl has made a choice - and what a lovely choice
Congrats!
:)

[Tri Girl]

Wow- that's one beautiful bike!!!! Sooooo pretty, and a serious upgrade from your first bike! You're going to love your new ride so much!
I, too, feel strange about getting a serious upgrade in bike. I'm getting a new bike soon, and it'll be full carbon and probably way too fast a bike for me (but who cares). I'll just feel bad for the bike because I know it'll be thinking "geez lady, can't you go faster- I'm made for speed, you know!" ;)

Have fun with your new friend!!! Hope you have many, many comfortable and happy miles together!

[wiseowl]

I'll just feel bad for the bike because I know it'll be thinking "geez lady, can't you go faster- I'm made for speed, you know!" ;)


I TOTALLY thought the same thing! Also, all the bikes live together on the porch, and DH and I figured that the new bike (her name is now Dragonfly, by the way) wouldn't want to associate with the old bikes. But they seem to be getting along, and she is perfectly willing to go however fast I want. Which, incidentally, is FIVE to EIGHT mph faster than old bike- wow.

[michelem]

Nice! :) After lots and lots of test-riding it came down to the 2007 Giant OCR Composite W and the 2007 Specialized Ruby Expert. It was a really close call, but for some reason the Ruby just felt better for me. What year is your bike? Is it the women's frame? I've never seen it in that pretty blue - very, very nice. Have fun! :D

[wiseowl]

It is a 2007, Giant OCR Composite W(omen's)- they don't make this frame in composite for 2008, and I think they also did away with the triple crank. So I was lucky to get this! It is a women's model- aside from even coming in a teenier size in the first place, the shifting/braking levers being shorter is nice- I sat on a general XS and the reach to the levers was huge for my hands. It also has a women's seat.

[cosc]

Wise Owl, congrats on a new bike made for you. I wanted to see the pic of your bike but I did couldn't see it on your post. Have lots of fun on Dragonfly.