I am new to this forum along with being new to road riding. The only bike I had ever owned in my life was a mountain bike until January when I bought my first road bike !
I wasn't really sure I would like it and mostly I just wanted a bike to ride around town, to work and to get groceries, etc...
Well, my partner talked me into getting a road bike so we could do some longer day rides instead of a town cruiser bike. I didn't want to spend too much money, so I bought a used Trek 1000 for $325. It was hardly used at all. The thing is that it is bright orange and blue and all decked out with extra components that I know nothing about. It makes me look like I know what I am doing and attracts all kinds of attention.
It took a while for me and the orange bike to become friends. We had some toe clips issues. My driveway is steep and one of the first mornings I only got one foot clipped in and got dragged down the driveway!
For whatever reason, I stuck with it. I have taken the bike to work every day since the day I bought it. I do some longer rides on the weekends and this weekend I did my first tour. The Tulip Pedal in LaConner, WA. The 40+mile ride.
I'm pretty comfortable on the bike now. I spend most of my time riding outside of Port Townsend, WA and Victoria, BC (my partner lives there).
I'll be doing the Rhody Tour and the Fort2Fort both out of Port Townsend and hopefully some others this summer as well.