I want to replace my 25 year old bike but my bf says I should diet and lose 20 lbs?

[socaljewel]

Help! I know nothing about bike maintenance. my boyfriend does all my bike maintenance. But after 3 years of following my boyfriend around and listening to his scorn at my inability to maintain his speed or bike over 80 miles per day, I am thinking about spurging on another bike for the second time in 25 years. But Should I keep my Fiji made 25 years ago which is indestructable or should I buy a fancy new bike which will break down and cost me lot of money in repairs but will allow me to go on a bike tour or at the least let me keep pace with my boyfriend. I am a runner who runs 6 miles a day, 7 days a week and only bikes about 4 days a month

[bmccasland]

Get Thee to your nearest LBS! Shiny new bike, shiny new bike! LBS folks will be more than happy to help you out. Leave BF somewhere else.

Really, a newer model will be lighter, less weight to push around. And if you're having fun, enjoying the ride, you'll be more likely to ride - thus more likely to drop pounds.

And if you can already run 6 miles a day, it sounds like your weight is probably pretty healthy anyway, so tell BF to stick the 20 pounds up his nose. Are YOU happy with your weight??

[channlluv]

I'll be more blunt than Beth.

Drop the boyfriend. Buy the bike.

Good luck!

Roxy

[mariacycle]

Drop the boyfriend. Buy the bike.

QFT! New bike = less maintenance and AWESOME SPEED. I was absolutely amazed how much faster my road bike was than my hybrid even though I was in worse shape when I bought it.

[7rider]

#1. If you're doing 60-80 mile rides on a 25 year old Fuji, PLUS running 6 miles a day, you are a freakin' ROCK STAR. If BF doesn't see that, find yourself someone who does.

#2. The best way to avoid flat tires is to keep your tires properly inflated. Check and add air before every ride. Get a good floor pump with a gauge. Talk to someone in a bike shop about how to use it properly, and keep those tires full of air. Don't ride on wet pavement if you can help it, and if you can't, clean off the tires when you are done. Stones, glass, and other road debris can work their way through a wet tire like a warm knife through butter. And, as others have mentioned, learn how to fix a flat because, well, even with due care, flats happen.

[Roadtrip]

I grew up with manipulative men (step-father) and I have to say... Don't take it anymore. Just don't. I realize it's an easy thing for us to say. You soooooo deserve more then the treatment you are receiving. It took years for mom to realize this and she stayed with a man who was both physically and verbally abusive because he convinced she could not do better and destroyed her already shaken self confidence. She would make excuses for his behavior again and again... When we finally did leave it was a middle of the night pack up and dash so he didn't know where we went, plus for many years we had this forboding fear he would re-enter ours lives to ruin the good we had begun to rebuild.

I'm not saying your situation is like mine, but please do not take this treatment, on or off the bike.

In terms of biking... Girl, you totally freaking rock to be able to ride a 30+ lb bike 60 miles before needing to stop for lunch. I wish I were able to ride like that and I do have a newer/lighter bike! Sounds like you really need some perspective and nobody can tell you exactly what to do, only you can make that choice for yourself, but I hope the ladies here have given you some of that needed perspective.

Wishing you the best,
Shannon

[westtexas]

+1 to what everyone else said.

I just bought a new bike and mine wasn't even that old. Love the new bike. It's really boosted my confidence which has made my riding better. And the guy I am dating right now is the best cycling partner I have had - he's there as a windblock and the head of our two-man pace line and when the tire went flat he fixed it (then taught me how to do it the next day when it wasn't 9:30 p.m. and dark outside) and he's actually the one who built my new bike from scratch.

Find people who support you as you are and enjoy biking for biking's sake. My guy right now is off riding with the race team he wants to join - while I relax on the couch after our 18 mile ride this morning.

And you know, you can always get good bikes used that are in good condition and the price is reduced. Check the for sale ads here or your local craigslist. Your LBS may even help people sell their old bikes (that's what I will be doing as soon as my carbon bars come in for my new one). Get to know the folks at the shop and they will often make a good deal with you - my shop sure did on my new Synapse that I had built from the frame up.

Good luck, let us know how it goes. We are here to help and support!!

[Savra]

I'll be more blunt than Beth.

Drop the boyfriend. Buy the bike.

Good luck!

Roxy

I haven't read much of what other people have said here but I completely agree on this one. Tell boyfriend to go screw himself as well as to stop disparaging you for being slow and saying you need to lose 20 pounds. Then go buy yourself the bike of your dreams. Even better if he pays for it and then you dump him.
Just saying.

[rubysoho]

Drop the boyfriend. Buy the bike.

Agreed.

[socaljewel]

Well I'm 5 3" and since my student days when I bought my Fiji Absolute, I have gained about 20 lbs. But with breast cancer, menopause, raising two kids, bouts of unemployment, I have not been overly concerned with my spare tire around my abdomen. I am used to the solid ride of my 35 lb Fiji bike with friction shifters and big tires. I am scared I will have lots of flats with skinny tires, and I'm scared the integrated brake index shifters will break constantly. I'm afraid I should save the $500 (Costco's Northrock or Wallmart's Trace bikes)

[bmccasland]

Well I'm 5 3" and since my student days when I bought my Fiji Absolute, I have gained about 20 lbs. But with breast cancer, menopause, raising two kids, bouts of unemployment, I have not been overly concerned with my spare tire around my abdomen. I am used to the solid ride of my 35 lb Fiji bike with friction shifters and big tires. I am scared I will have lots of flats with skinny tires, and I'm scared the integrated brake index shifters will break constantly. I'm afraid I should save the $500 (Costco's Northrock or Wallmart's Trace bikes)

Don't buy a cheap bike, you'll regret it. Go to a LBS - they'll help you pick a bike that fits, and works for the kind of riding you do, or want to do. They'll also teach you to take care of it. After all you've been through, our bodies aren't the same as when we were 20, sad, I know. I'm impressed that you run 6 miles/day!

Flats - learn to fix them, or at least change tires. (LBS guys and gals can help here). Tires also come in varieties, again your LBS shop will help you pick out what you need. And there are liners too.

LBS! LBS!

[lph]

What they all said. Get a decent bike, learn how to fix a flat, tell your boyfriend to shut it - and lose 20 lbs if you want to. I won't lie and tell you it won't improve your cycling, if you have the lbs to lose. But buying a lighter bike will give you a proper kickstart, and probably the will to ride faster. Older bikes are not inherently more solid than new bikes. All bikes have parts that wear out and need replacing from time to time, that's just the way it is.

[Owlie]

What they all said. Tell the boyfriend to knock it off, go get yourself a shiny new LBS bike (and keep the Fuji for backup or whatever), and ride! There are plenty of ways to learn how to do your own maintenance, at the very least basics, like fixing a flat: Classes (check your LBS, or REI), books, online videos...

No, the new bike won't make you faster, but it will make riding more fun. And no, it won't break constantly if you buy quality. Heck, my bike is on the cheap end of road bikes, and things don't break--they need tweaking occasionally, but nothing's broken in three years (knock on wood!). Flats will happen, but it's not because of the tire width.

[smilingcat]

I've known guys who were annoyed if you could not keep up. It's unfortunate. But then again we all have our faults. I have mine...

If your BF is not happy having to slow down and "drag" you around when the two of you are cycling, he needs some attitude adjustment or have him go for a high intensity ride first, come back and pick you up and go for his cool down ride with you.

Just because you can run 5/6 times a week does not mean that you would have the same kind of conditioning on a bike. Mechanics of running and riding a bike is different. When I used to really ride and do incredible rides, my running was just the awful. I couldn't run a 10 minute mile.

If your BF wants you to buy a new bike, tell him to put his money where his mouth is and have him pitch in to buy you a new bike. It sounds like he wants to spend your money so have him spend his own and buy you a new bike.

As for big box store bike. NOT WORTH IT!! It will be crummier than the one you have.

REI does carry good bicycles for very reasonable price. And when you have found the one you like. Come back and ask us if you think its a good deal or not. Then you can decide whether to buy it or not. REI is big enough that they will have more of the same bike somewhere. Buy last years close out model to get a better price deal.

Enjoy spending your BF's money

[socaljewel]

The bf is quite manipulative and doesn't have to literally come out and say, "you're a pig". All he has to do is sigh, or look back to see where I am, or say thiings like, "if I go any slower, I'll fall off" or refuse to pay for a trip to Colorado or anywhere other than biking around our neighborhood - for me to realize that he's tired of having a biking partner who is not able to go 60 miles without stopping for lunch. The bf himself has the same strict standards for himself - he has a 25 yr old Schwinn, his polyester clothes are from junior high and he's never paid for a hotel room he couldn't expense.

I'm also scared of going fast. I have only fallen a handful of times (on a pothole, trying to bike on sand, and learning to use clipless pedals) I don't know how to make tight turns. Who wants to go 25 mph and crash and break their collar bone?