New Bike!!!

[Lynne]

So, the LBS had a 20% off sale for local customers (one day only). Plus they were closing out a 2004 model. We figured out that my Redline is too big for me and probably causing some of my problems and maybe some of my issues in trying to haul my butt up the hills (because my shoulders are so tired and sore). Plus, it's a cross bike so it's different geometry and heavier (I've been using it as a road bike...when we bought it, I did not know I would love road riding, we figured I'd be a trail girl).

Ok, so I just have less than 6 mos riding experience under my belt, but how could I turn down an INCREDIBLE bike at half off?

Yes, so Lynne is the proud new owner of a 2004 Fuji Professional. I'm so excited, I'm hopping all around! We get to take it for a virgin run today, but already on the test ride it was an amazing difference! Starting from a light was a breeze....getting up a little incline felt GOOD. Course, I look like a dork because this bike is wayyyyyy more than I need or can appreciate right now. But I'll just have to do my best to live up to my bike's expectations of me :p

I feel like it's Christmas! Can't wait to post how the first ride went. And then I have a fitting on 6/18. Now I KNOW I'll be ready for Cycle Oregon come September!!

[RoadRaven]

Congrats Lynne!

Exciting huh?

My partner is talking about a new bike for my birthday. He reckons we turn my current bike into a time trial bike only, and get another bike with a couple of lower gears so I can get up hills a bit more quickly.

A new bike is def exciting - hope the ride goes well - looking forward to hearing about it :)

[Surlygirl]

Well I'm still in shock, :eek: but Hubby bought me a new Orbea Dama Race last night. :D :D :D :D It was a my birthday present. I took one for a test ride and I couldn't believe how much faster it was than my poor old Surly. Same as you Lynne, going from a cross bike to a road bike was a shock. I wasn't sure about the aluminum frame but it has a carbon fork and carbon stays and its a gorgeous purple. Now all I have to do is wait, the purple ones are backordered. Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.
Oh and I have a new favorite bike shop. Gear Works Cyclery in Leominster, Mass. They rock.

I think I'll keep the Surly as my beater bike, put the big old tires on it and use it in the spring when its muddy and wet. I'm sure I won't want to get my new baby dirty. Maybe I should change my name from Surlygirl to Orbeababe.

[massbikebabe]

hey grrls...

congrats on the new rides. Jody, I expect to see you flying thru hills of Worcester soon. How long do you have to wait??

karen

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Surly, must be something in the air for all these new bikes to be about.

Nice to be able to go a bit faster - glad you are enjoying it. Keep us posted on how it goes.

My birthdays not til August, I'll have to live vicariously through you both in the meantime... :p

[Surlygirl]

Thanks Karen, Thanks Roadraven and congrats Lynne. Didn't mean to hijack your new bike thread, just wanted to join in your fun.

Karen, my bike won't be in for a couple of weeks yet. I still have to decide if I'm changing my handlebars and crankset or robbing the Surly. I have Ultegra 9 speed now so I may just swap those over. Darren at gear Works thinks I should put the new women's Specialized handlebars on, they have a damping collor where the stem attaches. A stem. There's a new one, with a shorter top tube, I can actually have a decent length stem.
As for flying up the hills in Worcester, well I don't know about that, though on the test ride last night I rode up a hill and wasn't even wheezing at the top. ;)

[emily_in_nc]

All new bikes require a photo! C'mon ladies, don't forget! :D

And MEGA congratulations to you both! There's just about nothing more exciting than a new bike!!!

~ Emily

[Biking Chick]

All new bikes require a photo! C'mon ladies, don't forget! :D

And MEGA congratulations to you both! There's just about nothing more exciting than a new bike!!!

~ Emily

I concur with Emily ... photos please!

Congrat's to you both! Don't forget to post to the list after that first long ride!

[Surlygirl]

You can see mine at
orbea-usa.com
Its the Dama Race. I'll post a pic when I actually get my bike.

[Lynne]

Just got back and showered from the ride. A bit over 46 miles, didn't have my computer hooked up, but the BF did and he did 16.4mph average (he did a few sprints as he's training for racing), so I figure I came in a bit under 16mph, which beats my best time so far by a little bit I think. And did I mention there was a painful hill almost at the end that's about a mile long? I started off a bit slow, getting used to the bike. But, late in the ride, after I came up the hill, my BF was at the top...apparently another woman had just gone by and I could just see her. He says "You going to catch up to her??" Of course, I had to...I have the better bike and how shameful if I couldn't even catch her :p BTW, that was some more uphill, just not a *hill*...so I caught her, passed her and kept going up up up.

I'm mostly sore (I'm going to hit the hot tub tonight), but not tired like I was on the previous similiar ride, (which was less steep at the end) which was only a few weeks ago.

No, I didn't quite live up to my bike's expectations of me, but I'll keep trying. My goal is 17mph average on a longer ride like this one with hills.

I'm seriously hoping I continue to improve at the rate I have...that the next 6 mos will show tremendous increases in my ability. We'll see.

Oh, and I'd love to post a picture...how do you do that here?

Oh, and hey, post away! No one's stealing my thunder...I'm so happy just to have this beautiful bike...I'm sure everyone else feels the same when they get a new bike. I'm happy to share the thread.

Oh, and Surlgirl...my BF is doing exactly what you doing...upgrading from his Surly. (his is a road bike, steel frame...heavy as an elephant...omg!!) He's getting a super nice light bike now, but will keep the Surly and do what you're doing with yours. He has such loyalty to that lovely blue bike...it's kind of sweet :-)

[Lynne]

I forgot to ask...Surlygirl, which component set did you get?

[Crankin]

Congrats Jody!! (Surly). Now we definitely have to ride together. You will probably be going faster than me. Let me know when it comes in and we can meet....

[Biking Chick]

You can see mine at
orbea-usa.com
Its the Dama Race. I'll post a pic when I actually get my bike.

Nice ride Surly - I love the linea purple!!!

I hope hubby knows that new bike = new outfit :D :D :D

Congrats again - let us know when she/he whispers her/his name to you

[Biking Chick]

No, I didn't quite live up to my bike's expectations of me, but I'll keep trying. My goal is 17mph average on a longer ride like this one with hills.

I'm seriously hoping I continue to improve at the rate I have...that the next 6 mos will show tremendous increases in my ability. We'll see.

Good Morning Lynne - Glad to hear you had such a great first ride on your new bike.

I can relate to your feeling of not quite living up to the bike's potential. My husband surprised me a year and a half ago with my carbon road bike for my 50th birthday and it didn't take long for me to realize that my new bike was in a totally different category than my 2200 (all tho I still have a lot of affection for that little yellow & blue bike ... she helped make me a roadie).

I can't begin to tell you how a committment to weights (upper body) 3 days a week and a half hour of aerobics/stretching/toning 5 days a week has made in my cycling. The weight training has paid off in the obvious areas of being able to support myself on the bike on long rides but I was surprised at the aerobics. I thought about re-joining our local 'Y' but decided I'd start out with Daily Workout with Denise Austin - didn't have to go anywhere and it certainly was cheaper. That was a year ago and I'm still working with Denise. I'm not very good doing something like this by myself and I get bored with the workout tapes/DVD's - and I've discovered that a number of the exercises friends told me to try cuz they worked for them never seemed to work for me. Surprise surprise ... I now know I was doing them incorrectly. From some of the yoga moves I've learned from the show I now know how to open up my chest ... something I incorporate while biking ... and the value of not hunching up my shoulders (something I apparently did quite often) while riding. I learned the value of stretching following exercise as it increases circulation and circulation is what heals your body. I finally have a non-flabby derriere which really helps on the hills or in a headwind when I need to get down on the drops. I'm finally doing crunchs correctly and am pretty darn proud of being able to tuck a shirt into a pair of slacks but the real benefit comes back when I bike. A toned core really does make a difference.

Enough yakking on my part ... I was just thinking how my 2200 helped make me a roadie but my 5200 (carbon) made me want to be and do that much more. Looks like both road bikes deserve some thanks!

[Surlygirl]

Great Job Lynne,
I concur with your hubby. The old Surly is heavy as a tank but its done well by me and I like to think I'm a stronger rider (or slower) having ridden it.
I'm glad you like your new bike. I too feel like I probably won't quite live up to my bike's expectations but it will be fun trying won't it.
I have a Ultegra triple with FSA 48-38-28 rings on my Surly now and I may just swap those over and put the 105 setup back on my Surly. The bike I tried had a FSA compact crank on it but I ride a lot of hills in the town I live so I think I would miss my granny. I'm also putting a new women's Specialized Dolce short reach handlebar on the Orbea and an extra set of brake levers on the tops. I sure did miss those when I test rode the other night.
Of course the big decision now is what color bar tape :D and of course I need a few purple outfits don't you think ;)

[emily_in_nc]

You can see mine at
orbea-usa.com
Its the Dama Race. I'll post a pic when I actually get my bike.

ohmigod...<breathing loud>....the pink one....wish...i...hadn't....seen....that

DANGER lurks at that website! :eek:

~Emily, in serious bike lust :cool:

P.S. The purple is great too; in fact, all three colors are scrumptious. I just have a weakness for pink! :o

[emily_in_nc]

The bike I tried had a FSA compact crank on it but I ride a lot of hills in the town I live so I think I would miss my granny.

Surly ~ I built my Aegis Swift with an FSA compact double 34-50 and put a Campy Chorus 13-29 cogset on the back. The low gear is as low as my Terry (which sports an Ultegra 30-42-52 in front and 12-27 in back), though I do lose a couple gears off the high end, but I haven't missed them (I don't mind coasting down a big descent, and I don't race). The compact double is lighter and shifts much cleaner in front than a triple. Just a datapoint to consider!

~Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Oh, and I'd love to post a picture...how do you do that here?


Hi Lynne ~

First, you need to have your picture up on the web somewhere. I'm not sure what ISP you use, but most ISPs provide space for their users, or there are free areas you can post pictures (I use my ISP's web space and upload my pictures to my space there). Once your picture is on the web, you can either just post the link in your post, or to include the picture inline, click the little mountain picture above the text block as you're composing a post to insert an tag, put the URL of your image in, and then click the mountain again to insert an (end image) tag. You can also put the tags in manually.

So, the code would look something like this (substituting square brackets for the parentheses I used for demonstration:

(IMG)http://home.mebtel.net/~emilys7/day5_bear_em_bikes.JPG(/IMG)

We will then see the image in your post. Does that make any sense?

If that's too complicated, you can always just put a link to the bike manufacturer's page with the bike's picture instead!

~Emily

[DeniseGoldberg]

...Oh, and I'd love to post a picture...how do you do that here?

Lynne -
I usually use the method that Emily noted in her post - but if you don't have a place on the web to stash pictures, you can also upload pics directly. When you are editing a post, if you look below the edit box, there is an "additional options" section. If you click "manage attachments" you should be able to point to an image on your machine and then click upload.

Oh, and congrats on the new bike. It sounds like you and the bike are very happy!

--- Denise

[massbikebabe]

Surlorbea...(hahahahaha)

Check out the bar tape here http://www.somafab.com/bartape.html
I got some real nice tape for the ole Terry here.


Emily, I saw that pink Orbea up close and personal...she's a beauty!

karen

[Lynne]

Of course the big decision now is what color bar tape :D and of course I need a few purple outfits don't you think ;)

OMG! EXACTLY! that's exactly what I said as soon as I got the bike!! We are so on the same wavelength! Since mine was a 2004, it's been test ridden to death and the white tape is all dirty. So I need to get new tape...I'm thinking deep blue. And I have to get cute little outfits to match the bike. I love that part of biking!

Well, the link to see my bike is here:

http://www.fujibikes.com/images/bikes/prof04_4.jpg

[spazzdog]

ooooooo! very pretty!!

I'd go with the pink (or is it red) for bar tape... for the "bring it all together" look. I've also seen some pretty cool multi-colored speckeled bar tape that would be really nice. White gets cruddy pretty quick.

congrats on the new baby!

spazz

[emily_in_nc]

Beautiful bike, Lynne! And red/white/blue is so easy to match in clothing and accessories too! I'd go with red bar tape for a bit of snazz...it's the accent color for the bike so would be purty. Terry makes their t-shorts in that pretty blue color too - check 'em out here. (http://www.terrybicycles.com/detail.html?c=Apparel&sc=Cycling+Bottoms&item_no=1802)

The possibilities are endless, except maybe pink! :D

Enjoy!

Emily

[Surlygirl]

Karen you kill, me. I'm still laughing. :D :D :D Thanks for the link to the bar tape. Now I have to decide purple or one of the mixes. Decisions, decisions.
Hey Lynne, check out the link Massbikebabe sent me, maybe you can find what you need too. Sweet bike by the way. I had a fuji about 20 years ago that hubby bought me and it still hangs in by basement. Sentimental value ya know.

So Emily, if someone were to dangle a pretty pink Orbea in front of you, would you consider riding again. Might be just what you need to lift your spirits. Dogs be damned.
Thanks for the input on the components, I guess I hadn't considered that and I certainly don't race or fly like the wind down hills, at least not on purpose. To many rough roads here to do that.

[CorsairMac]

Wow - 2 new bikes in as many days! congrats to both of you on getting such awesome rides!

Lynne: I've ridden a Fuji Marseilles (whatever...I don't speak french either!) and it was a sweet ride. Fit me like a leather glove!! Since my friend doesn't ride much I tried to get it off her but it was a no go!! (don't think I'm not still trying! ;)

Jody: There are 2 Orbeas in the Crits here and I've got Orbea lust. One of them is blue/green and I just keep thinking "man, one of these days!".

Enjoy your new friends both of you and keep us posted on their names, etc etc!

[betagirl]

Nothing seems to feel better than a new bike :) Congrats.

[emily_in_nc]

So Emily, if someone were to dangle a pretty pink Orbea in front of you, would you consider riding again. Might be just what you need to lift your spirits. Dogs be damned.

I'm not allowed to ride yet. I'm still just 7 weeks out from my accident and can't bear weight on my right side yet. I go back to the orthopedist next week for more x-rays, and hopefully at that point I'll be able to start learning how to walk again. I can't risk a fall riding outdoors for awhile. I am riding my mtb on the trainer indoors for now and hopefully will be riding outside at some point later this year. It's just gotten really killer hot and humid here in NC the past few days, so fall riding is sounding pretty nice to me!

And actually, I bought two road bikes in 2004 and a mtb earlier this year, so I don't need a new bike to entice me, just a lot of courage (like the Cowardly Lion). I have a beautiful "black raspberry" colored Aegis Swift (you can see a tiny picture of it in my avatar), so the last thing I need is a new pink bike, but that's not to say I can't LUST for one!! :D

Emily

[Surlygirl]

Hi Emily,
Yes I knew you couldn't ride yet, I've been following your blog. I was referring more to your mental psyche and your fear of dogs. It was more of a trying to lift your spirits kind of thing.

New England is beautiful in the fall. Maybe an easy Inn to Inn ride in Vermont
or find some easy rail trails to start on.

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Emily,
Yes I knew you couldn't ride yet, I've been following your blog. I was referring more to your mental psyche and your fear of dogs. It was more of a trying to lift your spirits kind of thing.

No problem! :) I am not sure who is following my situation and thought maybe you worried that I'd given up completely on riding. I love it too much to do that (as you can see, I'm still hanging out here! :cool: ) When I start back, I'm just going to be really, really picky about where I ride, never ride alone, always take my air horn and my Halt, things like that. I'm sure I'll be anxious at first, but hopefully that will fade in time, as I get some successful rides under my belt.

Vermont would be great (we did a Bike Vermont inn-to-inn tour with Barry's parents years ago and LOVED it!), but we'll be taking our postponed 20th anniversary trip to the British Virgin Islands (think sailing, kayaking, and tropical drinks instead of cycling!) in late fall so I can't take any other vacations this fall. NC is nice in the fall, though; it's just tough going in the summer unless you love heat and humidity!

~Emily

[Surlygirl]

Ohhh The British Virgin Islands. Hubby and I rented a 50 foot sailboat for our honeymoon there and island hopped. It was wonderful. Some year we want to go back and do it again. The Bitter End and all those places.

[julbee]

Congrats on the new bikes!
I find I'm feeling some of your excitement!

A HUGE yes on Vermont!
I love it here!
The Autumn is simply breathtaking!!!!

It's my favorite season!
This year, I hope to be able to ride some distance by Fall, we'll see!

Just imagine the thrill of the gorgeous scenery AND riding the new bike while taking in the scenery! WOW!!! :cool:

[emily_in_nc]

Ohhh The British Virgin Islands. Hubby and I rented a 50 foot sailboat for our honeymoon there and island hopped. It was wonderful. Some year we want to go back and do it again. The Bitter End and all those places.

Hey cool - that's where we're going. We have a credit at the Bitter End Yacht Club since we'd already paid in advance for our trip and then couldn't take it when I had my accident. :( I can't wait, though! We went 1.5 years ago for hubby's 50th birthday and stayed at Biras Creek for a week, which was sheer paradise, but we wanted to go to BEYC this time so we could do more sailing. We just took sailing lessons over Christmas so are pretty much novices but want to practice! Did you sail the 50-footer by yourselves? If so, I am very impressed, but even if it was crewed, it sounds glorious and perfect for a honeymoon. I just love the BVIs~ :)

Emily

[Lynne]

Well, I've had my first couple of rides and I'm in loooove :-)

My poor Redline, I feel so disloyal to it now. But, the Fuji did help us figure out that I needed to move my seat way forward...so now I'm even doing better on the Redline. And I'm still commuting up hill and over Dave...I mean dale...hehe....on the Redline.

I posted in another thread, I can actually SPIN on this one! And hills...they are so much easier! I can't wait for the weekend to get back on my baby for another spin....

Oh! And I found a female group that I can ride with Sunday mornings. So I'm going to try that this Sunday. I'm nervous, but the average speed is about 12-13mph (including the hills), so I think I should be fine. This is an intermediate group, so I assume I should immediately let them know that I do not know how to draft and whatnot? I'm also going to a clinic on 6/19 to learn how to handle gravel, drafting, proper braking, etc. Can't wait!

And, I agree with ALL the other posts....this website is so incredibly helpful and supportive. Thanks!

[Surlygirl]

Hey Lynne, glad you're having fun on your new baby. I'm still waiting. Hubby had to call all over the U.S. to try and find a 49 Purple Orbea. Nobody has them. I think he did find one, but he won't tell me.

Emily, when are you going to the BVI? We rented the sailboat and sailed it ourselves. However, Hubby has been sailing since he was a kid. I on the other hand am a beginner. We went in September and as you know that is
Hurricane season so you have to be careful and pay attention. Its nice to just get up and sail somewhere each day and we usually anchored with other boats at night and people had cook outs and we went to each other's boats for drinks so it was fun. There are plenty of secluded spots too ;) Usually whoever rents the boats to you will question your sailing abilities and skill since they don't want to lose a customer or their boats.

[Lynne]

Oh no, Surlygirl! What a bummer...I was looking at the pink one myself...that is the cutest dang bike (ok, and it kicks butt, too...but so cute!)

[roughingit]

*bounce, bouce, bounce*

I got my bike last night! Wheee! Got a Fuji Touring. Turned out to be the only bike I could test ride that was in my price range, but she fits like a glove! Rode her around a bit last night, still getting used to the brake placement, they seem much harder to reach than my hybrids were. I know touring bikes aren't speed demons, but compared to what I had, this thing zips!

Unfortunately it'll be another couple weeks before I can play with it some more since I leave tomorrow morning for Annual Training (Army stuff), but I'll be stylin on my way to Girl Scout camp after that! (And I won't have to worry about my brakes all the time anymore lol)

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, when are you going to the BVI? We rented the sailboat and sailed it ourselves. However, Hubby has been sailing since he was a kid. I on the other hand am a beginner. We went in September and as you know that is
Hurricane season so you have to be careful and pay attention. Its nice to just get up and sail somewhere each day and we usually anchored with other boats at night and people had cook outs and we went to each other's boats for drinks so it was fun. There are plenty of secluded spots too ;) Usually whoever rents the boats to you will question your sailing abilities and skill since they don't want to lose a customer or their boats.

We're probably going in late November/early December. I would be too scared to risk going during hurricane season, even though prices are best then. The Bitter End Yacht Club has a fleet of over 100 boats that their guests can take out, but it would only be in protected areas and only day sailing, so I think that since my husband and I both have our sailing certifications (even though it is just the beginning level), we'll be fine. Neither of us would be qualified to do what you did (yet), but one reason to go to the BEYC is to gain more experience on smaller boats in a very safe area. I can't wait!

Emily

[Surlygirl]

Sounds like fun, I'm jealous. I've been having trouble with Vertigo in recent years sailing. The ground moves for days after I go sailing. Not a pleasant feeling. Every year we talk about going back to the BVI to snorkel and sail with the kids. I remember one place we anchored and there was a barracuda that swam around the boats. He was somewhat tame do to all the boat traffic in the area and I think people fed him. Nice to watch but I didn't want to swim with him.

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds like fun, I'm jealous. I've been having trouble with Vertigo in recent years sailing. The ground moves for days after I go sailing. Not a pleasant feeling.

Oh yes - Barry and I both got this from a week of sailing school! It was especially bad when standing in the shower (sensory deprivation?) Really strange feeling. I don't know that I would want to be a big time sailor or own a boat because of this, but I think I'd enjoy doing it on vacation. I can't wait!

Emily

[Surlygirl]

I find the Vertigo most disturbing when I'm standing on a twenty foot granite pier in Maine and it feels like its moving. And I KNOW its not moving. It never happened to me until I hit 40 and then everything changes I guess.