From 3-speed beach cruiser to road bike!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you, I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you - to you WONDERFUL ladies who talked me out of a hybrid and into a used road bike. You are my new best friends.
I've been riding my 3-speed beach cruiser, "Edith", for 3 years, on trips as long as 30 miles. It's been fun, but because of the wrist pain and toe numbness, and the inability to ever go above 20mph even on the downhills, I decided it was time to upgrade and I was thinking about just getting a hybrid. Pretty much the only difference in the 2 bikes would have been that the hybrid had more gears. After talking to you all, I decided to spend the same amt of $ on a high-quality used road bike.
I took my bike (I think I'll name her "Lexie") out for the first time this morning. Holy cow. Un freaking BELIEVABLE!!!!!! Where do I even begin?
OK - first - going downhill!!!! The higher gears made it possible for me to keep pedaling all the way down, and when I used the dropped handles, my body was no longer acting like a sail. I love the sound of the wind whipping past my helmet. Leaning forward in the aerobars - I could pretend I was flying through the air like a missile (or a witch zipping around on her broomstick) - WWHHHHHHEEEEEEEE!
Second - the wonderful handlebars! Mine came with the clip-on aerobars so those, combined with the dropped bars, gave me FIVE different hand positions and, therefore, five different coochie positions!!! The wrist pain is HISTORY! Toe numbness is GONE! Despite the fact that the saddle is smaller and doesn't have huge, squeaky, springs underneath it . . . . my nether regions are eternally grateful.
Going uphill - still not exactly a piece of cake, but the hills seem about half as high as they did before. LOVE the gears and the thin little tires, light frame, much less friction. The body position makes it much easier to not look up and just enjoy the cadence. I got up much faster and with a lot less grief.
The frame! The bag I carry into work with me every day weighs more. Honestly - taking the bike out of the car (last night after I bought it) was so easy. I tossed the bike over one shoulder and carried the front tire in the other hand and still was able to shut the back door of my Prius.
Taking the tire on and off is so easy. The bike is so portable. . . . . . . .
I love her. I am going to take her picture and hang it on my locker. It's going to be hard, but I think I'll talk my husband into getting a king-size bed so she can sleep next to us.
