I wish I were aware of this site when I purchased my Softride Qualifyer in 2002. Firmly entrenched in the $1500 ish market, I bought the qualifyer and then got myself a hed alp front and H3 rear wheelset.
While I have been generally happy with the bike, I go to races and see pictures posted here and seriously want to upgrade.
Preownedbike.com offered me $600 for it but at that price, it’s worth keeping around as a second ride.
The softride rep at IM Wisconsin said that if a put a new fork and headset on it, it would be a nice upgrade and a lot cheaper than buying a new bike, but the new P3 Carbon and QR Lucero look so nice…
I did IM Wisco in 2003 (my first) and pretty much laid low racing locally and spending time with the family but am looking to go long again in 2005.
A new fork and headset will do nothing to satiate your bike lust - the only solution (and a temporary one at that) is to inhale deeply. Immerse yourself in sin and credit. Call up Tom and order a new P3Carbon sight unseen, with full Campy Record Carbon (natch), Zipp 999’s and the integrated Carbon barset you find sexiest. The new Time pedals ought to round off your purchase.
Bought the Softride b/c I was worried about my back (an old rowing injury) doing an Ironman.
Turns out, back was never an issue.
I just wish I wasn’t such a tightwad as I could have sprung for a nicer bike back then. Now I find it hard to justify buying another bike after only two years.
Honestly do nto bother with upgrading your fork and headset… it would be a minor difference at the least.
Now are you dissatisfied with your bike? are you ill fit on your bike? is your bike broken or nonfunctional in anyway? If no to all of these then the answer is you do not NEED a new bike… you just want one.
There is something to be said about increased motivation once you get a new bike but in reality, unless you are changing styles of bike (ie mountain to road to track to Tri) there is not going to be a huge difference… I say if you haev problems with your back and you arenot having problems with your back on your softride stick with it.
Continue to ride the life out of that bike, race it every chance until a preset time (say March 2005). Then if you figured a) you got full value out of it (cost/value per ride) and/or b) new bike will help in the speed department due to weight/aero/fit whatever reason that works to convince yourself. Then buy a new one. This gives you a chance to cool off the bike lust so as not to make an impulse buy that you migth regret again.
To help quell my bike lust, I’ve set myself a goal: before I even consider a new bike, I have to be able to ride 12 loops of Prospect Park in 120 minutes, and 10 loops of Central park in 180 minutes. By roadie standards that won’t seem very fast – plenty of people on this forum could do those rides on recovery days. But right now I can do 11 loops of PP in 121 minutes if I’m well rested and use my aerobars extensively, and I could probably do 8.5 loops of Central Park in 180 mins but I haven’t spent much time there recently. PP is 3.35 miles, CP is 6.2 miles, and both sport moderate ups and downs but nothing more that 1/2 mile.
And of course, the bike I want to upgrade to is incredibly expensive, so even when I get to that point it’s likely that I’ll look at my checking acct balance and set a new goal for myself before I get the new bike. It helps to lust after something entirely ridiculous, so I can honestly say that there’s no way I can justify it except as a major reward. I mean, my car probably isn’t worth the cost of the bike I want, and that’s just overkill for an 18 mph cyclist like me.
I just satiated the howling demon that lives within. I cashed a childhood savings bond, sold my old bike, saved and threw down the cash for a Litespeed Saber. She is beautiful and is pleasing me immensely. Riding her on crisp Boulder afternoons is like making love for two hours at a time. Feed the beast!!!
