i surrender! after only two months of riding my used shogun time trial, i've come to the conclusion that i need a new bike.
the shogun is heavy and is somehow twisted enough where the seatstays and chainstays meet that the tire rubs against the chainstay after 5 minutes of riding (which was soooo much fun during my oly a few weeks ago). the bike only has 2 gears and 6 cogs, which are shifted by downtube shifters. the front wheel is a 650 and the rear is a 700 - and both are tubulars. i'm pretty sure that there isn't a single component on that bike that is younger than me (20 years old), and there's no doubt in my mind that the frame itself easily outdates me.
on second thought, i should change that last part. the only new part of the bike is the cockpit. the bullhorn bars and clip-on setup is pretty nice - aside from the fact that the clip-ons have come loose, and don't want to be retightened. whenever i ride, i find my hands pointed almost straight at the pavement after 100 yards.
i'm fed up with this bike.
what i really need is a road bike with clip-ons aerobars. i like doing group rides, and you just can't ride bullhorns and get enough power into the pedals. i'd like clinchers, and i'd like for both of them to be 700s. i despise downtube shifters, and would much rather ride a bike with STI and 24 speeds, even though i'd avoid the smallest chainring like it was the plague. i'd like to not constantly wonder if i'll be walking my bike back from wherever i'm going.
i'd like to buy a new, never-used bike ... one that i can be sure won't be a fixer-upper like my current bike. and i'd like to sell my current bike, hopefully somewhat offsetting the cost of the new one.
so, when's the best time to make the transaction? now, when the cycling season is winding down? february? april?
p.s. the moral of this story is DO NOT BUY A USED BIKE FROM EBAY!!!
http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com
"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
the shogun is heavy and is somehow twisted enough where the seatstays and chainstays meet that the tire rubs against the chainstay after 5 minutes of riding (which was soooo much fun during my oly a few weeks ago). the bike only has 2 gears and 6 cogs, which are shifted by downtube shifters. the front wheel is a 650 and the rear is a 700 - and both are tubulars. i'm pretty sure that there isn't a single component on that bike that is younger than me (20 years old), and there's no doubt in my mind that the frame itself easily outdates me.
on second thought, i should change that last part. the only new part of the bike is the cockpit. the bullhorn bars and clip-on setup is pretty nice - aside from the fact that the clip-ons have come loose, and don't want to be retightened. whenever i ride, i find my hands pointed almost straight at the pavement after 100 yards.
i'm fed up with this bike.
what i really need is a road bike with clip-ons aerobars. i like doing group rides, and you just can't ride bullhorns and get enough power into the pedals. i'd like clinchers, and i'd like for both of them to be 700s. i despise downtube shifters, and would much rather ride a bike with STI and 24 speeds, even though i'd avoid the smallest chainring like it was the plague. i'd like to not constantly wonder if i'll be walking my bike back from wherever i'm going.
i'd like to buy a new, never-used bike ... one that i can be sure won't be a fixer-upper like my current bike. and i'd like to sell my current bike, hopefully somewhat offsetting the cost of the new one.
so, when's the best time to make the transaction? now, when the cycling season is winding down? february? april?
p.s. the moral of this story is DO NOT BUY A USED BIKE FROM EBAY!!!
http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com
"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises