Going From 0 to Touring in 2 Summers --
-- at least that's the plan. :D
I'm a returning cyclist... had at MTB when I was in high school and college that I rode all over the place with my then-bf. The bike was stolen one summer, and couldn't afford to replace it, so other than a brief trip around the outside of Mackinac Island on a rental hybrid (single speed), I've been going without for the past decade-plus. Started to work on some weight loss about 2 months ago, was looking through some motivational pages, and came across someone's bike touring journal from a trip around Lake Michigan -- and for the past two weeks, all I've been able to think and talk about is getting back in the saddle, getting back into condition, and doing it myself (DH is NOT amused at this sudden pit-bull-like fascination/obsession I have with getting back into cycling!).
Of course, I'm running into some obstacles along the way already... but maybe some of you have suggestions?
1. I don't have a bike yet. And heading into my last year of (my second attempt at) my music education degree, fundage for obtaining a bike is... well... limited. This is looking like a 2010 tax refund purchase so far, and I'll probably have about $650-$700 to play with for the bike and most of the gear (mostly pedals & saddle is what I'm concerned about at this point, I'm getting shoes & cleats for my birthday so that I can use them in spinning classes - but more on that in a moment). I'm looking at the wait as a good way to take my time and make sure I'm getting the *right* bike for what I want to do, at least until I can afford to upgrade. I'm in the Pittsburgh area, and we do have lots of great bikes listed on Craigslist, but most of them are for medium to large size frames (I'm probably going to pick one up for my husband if he decides he wants to try this with me). I'm short (5 foot 2), with short arms, and even shorter legs for my height. I checked out the bike calculator on competitivecyclist.com, and got an inseam measurement of just shy of 26". Right now, I'm liking the Trek 1.1 -- the LBS said he'd give me a price that's actually almost $100 under MSRP on it, and put it in writing (I will probably buy through him even if I find something other than the Trek, I liked his shop and his attitude and helpfulness a lot - unfortunately I think I still am not quite sure what the right questions to ask him are to help him help me find what I need). I have *not* sat on or test ridden the bike yet, as I'm trying to find out what else might be out there in the same general price range, frame size and feature category... and being new to road-style bikes, I have very little idea what brands / bikes to look at for reasonable comparisons. I would love to be able to afford a Terry or a Luna, but that's probably not happening until student loans are paid off. Can anyone recommend any entry-level-priced road-style bikes that have extra-small frames? Even in the Trek 1-series, it looks like I would have to get a 47cm instead of the 43cm frame that would probably be a best fit (the website geometry/spec sheet has info on the 43, but they don't include it in the size listing. I've looked through the archives here as well as websites for Kona, Giant, Bianchi, Raleigh, Cannondale, Schwinn, Trek, Surly... (and drooled through the Terry & Luna sites). There were a few bikes that hit under my price-point, but none of them had the features that the 1.1 has combined with the small frame. FWIW, I'm probably going to save my pennies to get a smaller chainring added at some point after I actually get the bike (if this is the one I end up getting and if it's possible), if that matters. It might not.
Corollary #1 -- on the competitivecyclist.com fit recommendations, they mention a French fit / riding position, which I've not seen anywhere else in my obsessive reading. It seems to be a more touring-friendly fit & position than the competitive fits listed, and I was wondering if anyone here knew more about it?
Corollary #2 -- if a bike *doesn't* have braze-ons for a front rack, is it possible and how hard is it to add a rack? I didn't think to ask LBS-guy yesterday while I was there :o :rolleyes: And if a bike only has rear panniers, how hard is it to keep the load balanced and non-hindering during a tour (assuming the panniers aren't overloaded and are side-to-side balanced, of course).
2. Conditioning from nothing to being road ready: I have a plan. As I mentioned, I'm working on losing some significant amounts of weight (100+ lbs), and honestly I'm not as pounds-lost focused as I am increasing overall fitness. I know cycling is a great cardio exercise, and I want to be ready to put in some riding hours right away when I do get my bike, so I'm planning on spending some time in the cardio studio at the rec center on campus with my butt on an exercise bike. I'm also signed up for a spinning class (6:15 am, starting a week from tomorrow, at the YMCA half-hour away from both school and home) which I hope to continue throughout the fall semester. However. Starting in January, I'll be student teaching and not certain how much exercise bike time I'll be able to get as I'll probably be student teaching an hour in the opposite direction of the Y and the school rec center. Not exactly conducive to doing classes or doing exercise bike riding other than on the weekends. Is working on bike conditioning during the fall going to carry over through spring if I continue to work on general conditioning (I'll have treadmill and elliptical access through the fitness room at our apartment complex, thankfully)? I hope it will, but, I'm a little concerned.
I'm planning my big trip for the end of June, 2012 (hoping to beat out the 4th-through-Labor Day tourist seasin in the lake country and take advantage of marginally cooler temps of late spring / early summer). My hope is to get the bike next spring and be doing day-long loops out in the boonies around here (yay, built-in hill training!) by July, and then do at least an overnight trip before the end of summer. If everything goes swimmingly, I'm going to apply for the DALMAC tour (www.dalmac.org) for Labor Day 2011. I'm also planning to get a trainer for fall-winter 2011-2012, so that I can continue to condition and work with my rig during the non-riding months and be able to do some long training rides shortly after the weather turns. Spinning classes will be continued as they fit into my schedule and budget allows.
For those of you who have toured before (especially those previously highly sedentary), does this time-frame and training/conditioning plan sound like it'll be enough preparation for a 950-mile trip? I know that the plan is only as good as how well I execute and stay consistent with it, but this seems doable from my perspective at the moment. We'll see how that first spinning class goes next week :)
And I've probably made this post way longer than it needs to be, so thanks to anyone who has made it this far ;)
