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

[marni]

just a comment- unless your boyfriend is 20 pounds skinnier than every other single person he rides with or against, he has no right to tell you how to handle your weight or judge your appearance.

As for flat tires- I have had my semi expensive middle price range road bike for 5 years, and have had a total of 3 flats, the entire time, and I just ride on the type of tire that the bike came with. I have one change out of brakes and gear system due to
worn out issues, and replaced the chain three times. In that time I have put in endless hours and averaged over 5,000 miles a year, but then I am retired and no longer work so I have time. Granted that's not as much as some people ride, but it is more than a lot a people do.

I would also question your boyfriends math of 200,000 miles ridden unless it is his life record. If we're talking say a 10 year period, that's 20,000 miles a year which is 400 miles a week. Is he riding non stop 24/7 or what?

A good bike is a good bike, and a bad boy friend is a bad boy friend.

just sayin

marni

[Trek420]

The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong

[zoom-zoom]

The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong

I'm pretty lucky. I got a great bike and a great hubby...he's probably more than great. He totally enables my "addiction."

[Trek420]

Obviously Ann Strong did not have as great a DH

[zoom-zoom]

Obviously Ann Strong did not have as great a DH

I have friends like Ann...mostly I want to kick their hubbies in the nuts for being such losers.

[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

[divingbiker]

This makes me so sad. And so glad I'm single.

[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?

[mariacycle]

socal, are you happy with him? it made me really sad to hear you say he was manipulative, do you feel like you can't leave him?

[channlluv]

Nobody deserves to be treated badly. Well, maybe murderers, rapists, genocidal dictators, and child molesters. But in general, and by "in general" I mean you, you don't deserve to be treated badly.

Buy yourself a beautiful new bike that fits you and tell the boyfriend to go riding by himself. I'm betting there's a women-friendly bike club near you. If you're running and you want to get into cycling, too, there's probably a triathlon club near you, too. People with whom you can relate.

Does the boyfriend run with you?

Roxy

[Desert Tortoise]

As others mentioned, joining a women's group is helpful. They tend to be much more helpful, supportive, noncompetitive and nonjudgemental. Groups like this tend to build up people. Hang around them long enough and you will see and feel a difference. Might even give you a new perspective.

dt

[channlluv]

PS - Here is a list of South Carolina cycling clubs. See if there's one near you.

http://www.sciway.net/tourism/cycling.html


Good luck.

Roxy

[lph]

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.

Ah. Well. I've grown up with people like that, and a good friends dh is like that. The whole "let's see if we can get away with spending as little as possible"-idea is fun if you're in on it and enjoy it too, but remember he has a whole lot of testosterone-built muscles driving that 25 yr old Schwinn. You are not just going to magically someday keep up with him because you're both riding heavy bikes. He literally has it easier, so the sighing and moaning is just bullsh1t.

You don't need the lightest carbon miracle out there to enjoy bike riding more, but you DO need a bike that's more suited to YOU. I don't know enough about prices in the us to give you a ballpark figure, but there is a pretty clear level below which you shouldn't go. It's not just hype and frivolous spending. I have only old (not that old!) bikes and fix them myself, but even that does cost money.

Please - find a bike club nearby, and find some women who ride. You will not regret it.