*Dreams of getting a new bike*

I am sure a few of you can relate to my situation.

So, I have this nice little Trek 1000. It was purchased in Oct. 2004 and I have ridden it approximately 3,500 miles.

It has been a good bike, but the gears... I HATE THE GEARS! I really, really, really HATE THE GEARS! To even get my derailer to move to the big ring in the front... I sometimes have to muscle it over with the shifter. It's a PAIN!

My delima is this...

1) I want a new road bike...really, really bad! I know I will ride it, and love it. My Trek 1000 is OK... but dang I HATE THE GEARS! And, I secretly dream that a new bike will make me 1-2 mph faster.... which would put me at 17-19 mph average and riding with the boys.

2) BBBUUTTTT... I also want to do an Ironman by 2010 and I want a tri bike for when I start doing serious distances with my tri's. I need to get this tri bike by 2009, so I can train for the Ironman distance on it.

3) BBBBBBUUUUUUTTTTTT... I have serious pain when I run, and I even question if I will ever be able to run more than a mile. The idea of running a marathon seems like a far off dream right now. REALLY FAR! (Note: I have been working with someone for 5 months to fix my running pain, it's an issue I am tackling head on.)


My *dream* would be to...

1) Buy a nice new road bike at the end of this year.

2) Buy a nice tri bike middle/end of next year, or whenever I start running again. I figure no sense in buying it if I can't run.

Mind you, I got a new car... just so I can haul my bike around eaiser.


Now, here are the facts...

1) I don't have the money to purchase a new bike of any kind! What to do?


So the reality is that I should probably just upgrade/redo the gearing and shifters on my Trek 1000 and then purchase a tri bike when I save up the money.

Mind you, I want a bike that is under/around $2,000. I'm not looking for a top end bike... but something nice that will have SMOOTH gearing on it. I don't even need a full carbon bike.

I figure I can look for deals at the end of the season... but crap! I still don't have the MONEY to buy one, even if it's marked down. UGH!

What to do?

How do I get a new road bike without any money? HA!


I bet everyone of us here has hit this problem at one point or another... eh?

Have you had the LBS look at the bike? What you describe is what I had to deal with. I always had to fight it to switch chainrings. Finally the LBS agreed that there was a problem. They switched out the front derailler and I've be smooth shifting ever since. Could it be that? Could save you some $ and give you time to save for the dream bike.

If as you say you have "serious" pain when you run, I would guess that might take a long time (if ever) to eliminate. Running is HARD on the body, and lots of runners have so much pain and chronic injuries that they have to switch to fitness walking permanently. The walking forums are full of injured ex-runners.
So, in my opinion if you are going to buy any bike you should perhaps concentrate on the road bike rather than a tri bike- you would be more sure to be able to use it for its purpose.

Are you sure you have your Front Derailleur adjusted properly.? Serious pain sounds to me like the limit screw is set wrong. The limit screws determine how far the dearilleur moves when you push it. If its not moving far enough, it can be hard to push. When was the last time you changed your cables, or had your LBS do it, that could also be a problem. New bikes are FUN, but maybe a tune up is in order. No matter how fancy shmancy your bike is, if its not tuned it won't perform well. I think of a bike more like a violin than a car, all those strings need constant attention for it to sing.

Try a new well-greased cable, have the derailleur adjusted for limit screw, vertical height, and horizontal swivel. Make sure the bottom bracket is adjusted properly. Shift to your big ring only from one of the outer rear cogs. If it still shifts like cr@p, you might need a better derailleur or crankset. Alternatively, one way to get faster is to stop shifting so much and force your legs to get stronger and more supple.

Thanks for the replies!

As far as the derailer needing to be looked at... it has been looked at... and *fixed* many, many, many times. I seriously use to go weekly to get it fixed. They KNOW me at the LBS and know why I'm there when they see me. It's been like that for a year now.

Well, I agree with this...

Quote:

---

So, in my opinion if you are going to buy any bike you should perhaps concentrate on the road bike rather than a tri bike- you would be more sure to be able to use it for its purpose.

---

If I EVER get to the point where I can run a 1/2 marathon, then I will cross the "get a tri bike" bridge.

Once my tri on 9-17-06 is completed... I am doing to take my bike to the LBS and get advice on what I should do.

Should I get a tune up? Replace the shifting mechanisms? Or just replace the bike? My mechanic is really cool, and I trust him to give me a straight answer on what I should do with the bike.

I also think I will talk to an old H.S. friend who works at the LBS and have him put me on his radar for when there is a GREAT deal on a bike in store.

And if all else fails.... I know last year Trek did a 1 year/0% interest deal around Christmas time. That could work too!