BICYCLES

I run Continental Force front, Conti. Attack rear, Michelin Aircomp Ultralight tubes, at 105psi front, 110psi rear with good result. I weigh 78kgs, bike a little over 9kgs. I ride on some pretty terrible roads, the only time I've had bad trouble was when I cut a sidewalk on some unavoidable road debris.

 

1) Gatorskins? Workin' out great!
2) Checking pressures before each ride? Big big tip. Thank you!
3) Sugoi subzero leggings and skullcap? Made this morning a bunch of fun @ 49dF
4) Strava + StravistiX extensions? Way more actionable data than Runtastic.
5) Riding as much as the weather permits? Just gobs and gobs of fun!

p.s. I love it when the Polar HR sensor goes crazy and reports my heartrate at 139% of max.
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Saw this at Sam's recently and when I went back a day later they were all gone.
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Well, lets face it..... my daily commute (about 15 miles round trip) just wasn't enough time on the bike. So, I've kicked it up a notch and decided to go "way out of the way" every morning to Ricambi. This basically doubles my daily commute -- 18 miles each way. Leaving the house at 5:00am remains pretty sucky, but its better than riding in a lot of traffic.

I have also experimented with seat height, and pulled it up about 1" further. Yes, I get better leg extension, but the tradeoff is a sore back.

TOMORROW MORNING: Hockey starts! My wife is a saint for enduring the never-ending stream of lycra, velcro, carbon fiber, Tide Detergent, and equipment strewn everywhere.
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Cruising around the neighborhood... at George Washington's front gate (Mt Vernon in background)
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I have 3 bikes:
1. A very sweet Merlin with Campy Record
2. A dual suspension Specialized Mountain bike with Shimano XTR
3. My favorite, which is an Optima Baron Low Racer with Shimano Dura-ace/XTR and a carbon fiber seat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnfdhnAobeg

 

I got lonely riding alone, so this morning my wife and I got Luca fitted on a new Pinarello

Damn lucky kid!!

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Lucky kid. Is that at Mock Orange?

 

Yes. MOB - Mock Orange Bikes.

They've been fantastic to work with, and are also getting me swapped over to an Ultegra Di2 next week. (Can't wait!)

 

Lucky kid indeed! Hope you guys have fun.

 

Tell me what you think about the Di2.

I've been reluctant to consider the electric shifting.
I'm sure it's a lot like the manual vs F1 debate, but I'd like to actually try one sometime soon. My local bike shop doesn't seem to like them much, but who knows...

I'd like to hear your (or anyone who's tried) thoughts about them firsthand.

 

Trust me, I'm very anxious to give it a try! My LBS seems enamored with them, and (says) they do a lot of retrofits. Along with a new crank, cassette, and Shimano wheels, it should be like a whole new bike when its complete next week.

BTW... I rode with my son on his Pinarello last night. It was awesome to watch him learn the shifting technique and power up hills that he could never do with his old mountain bike. Will he ever ride the Tour? No. Will we have a bunch of fun together? I hope so.

 

Getting ready for some Halloween candy, I knocked out 65 miles through some scary rural countryside. The lawn decor was epic.
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was that left up since July 4th?

 

I'm not sure. The mannequin was wearing a Sarah Palin wig and glasses, although we were never going to see Russia from this vantage point.

 

Just got a new Pinarello Gan S. Couldn't be happier with this bike, perfect fit for what i was looking for. Also helps that it looks amazing in person.
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Anyone have any experience with Kestrel Bikes? Full carbon, under $2000.00
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In North Carolina those colors don't run. That's probably been up for years!

 

I switched to Di2 with my latest bike. I'll never go back. The advantages are *many* and the downsides are zippo. Your LBS doesn't like them because they don't bring in the repair/services $$$.

When I was looking into updating my first bike to Di2 - I figured out pretty quickly that it would just about be as cost effective to buy a whole new bike with Di2 already spec'ed. Maybe things have changed since then but I was blown away by how much the Di2 components cost "a la carte" versus already "baked in" to the bike build.

I would have sold that Trek and bought myself a beautiful Italian carbon bike - you're obligated to only own Italian brands given the business you're in! In my case, I handed down my Wilier GranTurismo to my son (13) and bought a Wilier Cento1 Air with Di2.

 

No personal experience but they have a great reputation - especially for TT bikes. This one looks to be a more of an entry level carbon road bike with some TT design cues (tapered tubes, seat post, rear brake calipers lowered and "hidden" from the wind, etc). Hard to say if it's a good overall deal unless we knew the specs of all the various components on the bike.

What kind of riding do you want to do?

 

That was my original plan, but I just couldn't swing it.

It won't change my Di2 purchase (already in process), but what are your impressions of the system?

 

You won't regret Di2 at all. You can read all the reviews on it but here are my personal observations.

- Effortless shifting. You're pressing a button not actuating a lever.
- No half a55 shifts. Perfectly in the cog, every time.
- No maintenance or tinkering required. It even self-tapers on the front ring.
- Shift under extreme load and/or very low cadence. Example: Out of the saddle, climbing a steep grade.
- Rapid fire shifts. If you want to move 2, 3, or more gears at a time...just hold the button until you're done.

About the only thing (besides cost) that could be possibly construed as a downside is if your battery runs out but that requires negligence on your part. Unless you are flipping through the gears like a maniac, you'll get well over 1,000 miles per battery charge. Periodically check battery status by holding a shift button for 2 seconds and see what light status shows up on the little Di2 controller box.

I own 3 cars with a proper stick shift...so take it from me, 'manual' shifting on a bike is for the birds.