New Bike - I need an intervention!

[pinkbikes]

I am not sure what the bike equivalent of AA is, but I need it. I have fallen off the wagon!

I have avoided buying a bike myself for almost two years now. I have achieved this mostly through the vicarious buying of bikes for others. I help them work out what they want and then hold their hand while they go and buy them, help them set them up, encourage them to buy gadgets and go clipless and generally bask in the spending of their money on "bike stuff."

I have even basked in the TE forum members' purchases of glorious bikes....

But today I bought a new bike. I am not sure if I should be celebrating or confessing! It is a Scott Speedster S20 FB and I'm going to love it!

You see, I already have four bikes. Four and a half if you count my half of the tandem I ride with DD. I have a very old roadie, a newish roadie, a hardtail MTB and a nice dual suspension MTB. The hardtail MTB now sports slick tyres and does commute and general hack duties.

So, it transpired that I "influenced" one of my workmates to buy a flatbar roadie the other week because that was what she needed. This was no big deal at the time, since I had no need for such a thing. But then I discovered a need!

I usually go on a 9 day tour around Queensland called Cycle Queensland (CQ). The last two years I have taken DD on the tandem and DH on his own bike. This year they have decided they would prefer not to come. I gave this some thought and decided I would still go. It is after all my base training for the year. When else do I get the freedom to spend 9 days in a row riding 100km give or take with somebody else feeding me and no work to go to?

So I decided to go and take my roadie - rather looking forward to release from the tandem! Then I looked at the profile for the road. Urghhh! Some pretty big hills there! Some pretty rough rural roads there! Better re-think taking the roadie since I can't see me getting up some of those hills on it and don't fancy walking up them thar hills in roadie walk-like-a-duck shoes!

So I decided to take the hardtail on slicks. Shortly thereafter I rode it to work (a pretty decent sort of a commute) and remembered that I keep running out of gears at the top end, that the fork annoys me when I'm just commuting, that while it is terrific when your butt is only on the seat half the time in the forest, it is just not comfy to sit down on for a prolonged period. In short - just NOT a bike you look forward to pushing out a huge bunch of miles for 9 days in a row!

It was then that the workmate showed me her new flatbar roadie. And it was nice. And as I looked at that nice roadie triple, and those nice big 700c wheels, and.... I suddenly realised that this was the sort of thing (if it just had a carbon fork) that I would like to ride for touring and commuting!

I then spent a fruitless night on the computer comparing specs of all the well-known and -sold bikes in Oz, looking for something to meet my requirements (at least 105, road triple, carbon fork, nice wheelset, room for a bit more tyre width, braze-ons for a rack). It was a fruitless search. Sellers of WSD FB road bikes easily available down here seem to think women don't need nicer spec gear. There was nothing available with anything above Tiagra. Even in the nicer-specced men's bikes they seemed to favour a compact double on the nicer bikes (I HATE compact gearing) or a MTB range of gearing that would ensure I was back to running out of gears at the top.

I consoled myself that there was nothing I could buy (DH was very happy) and resigned myself to looking at some steeper gearing for my hardtail. But then I wandered into a LBS and the gal there had already solved this predicament for another female customer. She pointed to the Scott in a catalogue. I googled. It really was exactly what I wanted (as long as i could get it to fit me). I dithered for almost a week, measured my bikes, compared the measurements to the sizing charts, and finally caved in today. I went back and bought it. It will arrive next week and I just can't wait!!!

[Cataboo]

I dunno, I completely buy all your justifications and definitely agree that you needed that bike. Maybe think about selling on either your old roadie or your hardtail - you could possibly make your old roadie a better commuter bike. Or you can totally justify keeping them, because you've got a growing daughter.

Either way, congrats!

I however, need the full suspension mountain bike that arrives tomorrow like i needed a whole in the head. But there was something about it being 80% off... And only having a hardtail.

[ginny]

hm... clearly a very necessary purchase. I mean, you had no other choice. Furthermore, unless you need the room, I do not think anything else in the stable needs to go. Here's why: they are already paid for. You don't have to feed them. You may find yourself in just such a predicament again and one of your other lesser ridden steeds may be the perfect fit. No, no, you do not need bicycle AA. I just don't think you have a problem - or maybe I too have a problem

[Biciclista]

sounds like you need a new bike.

[Catrin]

Indeed, it sounds like you really need the new bike and need no further justification.

Of course, I have less than 100 miles on my first bike and am already buying a second one....so perhaps it is me that needs Bike AA

[Cataboo]

Indeed, it sounds like you really need the new bike and need no further justification.

Of course, I have less than 100 miles on my first bike and am already buying a second one....so perhaps it is me that needs Bike AA

*cough* At least everyone talked you into a cheaper new bike than the one you first wanted, and then the stock build instead of the custom build.

So we don't completely enable everyone who comes on here.

[kmehrzad]

Indeed, it sounds like you really need the new bike and need no further justification.

Of course, I have less than 100 miles on my first bike and am already buying a second one....so perhaps it is me that needs Bike AA

Catrin, you're a cyclist after my own heart. I bought a single speed bike in December and got to ride it three times between epic snowstorms, probably put 45 miles on it. A week and a half ago I found a Fuji 'beater bike' on Craigslist that I had to have. It's sitting in my garage alongside the single speed. This weekend looks promising for some nice long rides.

[pinkbikes]

Ahhh! I knew I could rely on the TEers to reinforce my need!

And I figure I can get rid of the old roadie now. It only sits on the trainer in case of bad weather. I can use the new bike on the trainer in yucky weather since it only has carbon in the fork.

And the hardtail will get handed down to a growing daughter pretty damned soon at the rate she's growing (like within months).

There we go - another soothing layer of justification spread like butter!



* I need the justification practice for when DD grows into my newer roadie and I replace it with something much nicer....

[SheFly]

Hmm - I don't see the problem. Don't you all know that the optimal number of bikes is n+1????

SheFly (who is a bike-a-holic, and has the 10+ bikes to prove it)

[Catrin]

*cough* At least everyone talked you into a cheaper new bike than the one you first wanted, and then the stock build instead of the custom build.

So we don't completely enable everyone who comes on here.

And that is a good thing The Fargo was really too expensive for me though, so I would have come around anyway

[Bike Chick]

Your justification makes perfect sense and you had no other choice IMO. Besides, they don't eat anything, do they

[Catrin]

* I need the justification practice for when DD grows into my newer roadie and I replace it with something much nicer....

Sounds like the perfect solution thus proof that you really do need the new bike

[TxDoc]

Don't you all know that the optimal number of bikes is n+1????

Well said!!!

And yes, I am waiting for a new bike too...

[bluejellybean]

well...I think this just confirmed my need to get a new full carbon specialized (probably specialized...unless anyone has any super lightweight recommendations) 2011 roadie when they come out in May-ish...before the HST adds another 7% tax to BIKES in Canada in July...boo to that, yeah to new bike!!! Woo hoo!

[Ana]

the optimal number of bikes is n+1

What a fabulous rule!