Finally! First ride of the year.

I bet that was fun!

It'll be nice to be able to get out and ride again, but it's going to be a few more weeks here till the weather cooperates. Supposed to get more snow Wednesday.....

I hope your new bike gets there soon. Are you going to keep your old bike for bad weather riding?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by jpr95 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I was finally able to get out and ride for the first time this year. Other than 2 sessions on the trainer in January, I've done zippo since a 2-day, 120-mile ride the first weekend in October (Bucket Ride, a benefit for Habitat for Humanity--we rode from IU to Purdue).

I only rode about 17.5 miles, but after about 10 miles it started to feel pretty good, though the hills didn't ever feel good. 😉 There is definitely some more rust and cobwebs to get out of the lungs and legs, but I'm also much better off today than I was at this time last year.

My new bike is also supposed to ship today...fingers crossed... The new ride (Habanero Ti Touring) should be sub-20 lbs, contrasted with my 35+ lb lugged steel Schwinn from 1988. I'm guessing it should make the hills a little easier due to the drop in weight, and the better groupset (triple Ultegra vs. early Shimano SIS) might improve power transfer efficiency all around. Going from 27" x 1-1/4 tires to 700Cx25 should help, too, plus a few more gears (30 vs. 12) should help fill in a few cadence holes. Heck, it's probably like going from a Yugo to a Corvette.

Jason

The new bike sounds like it'll be a sweet ride but it'll probably be more like going from a Yugo to an Audi A6 with leather and all the bells a whistles 😉 You'd need something like a Cannondale Hi-Mod or a Cervelo S3 and a set of HED Stinger 6's for the corvette :P

I went from an '85 lugged trek to a '03 lemond. The difference was unbelievable. Hills became easier and my average speed greatly increased.

Congrats on the first ride. I did my first ride of the season last week, but since then it has dropped from 70 back down to 30 so I am off for another couple of weeks.... 🙁

Late last year I switched from my 1986 Bridgestone 450 (also with SIS) to a 2007 Scott CR-1 (also with Ultegra - 6600 I think). Very nice and the shifters and breaks were the biggest improvement. Due to different gearing, hills were a little easier, but not as much as I though they would be... (Bridgestone was 39x28, Scott is 39x25). I expected a bit jump in average speed also, but really there was not much change. (although I do get up to that average speed quicker now).

Brifters are awesome... You will love shifting now.

Anyway, enjoy the new ride...

Michael