Do You Road Bike?

[DeathB4mullets]

Since they won't be back in the 2009 season, Toyota-United pro team is liquidating everything they've got. Like... everything. Plasma TVs, laptops, camcorder, furniture, swag (ya, you KNOW you want a box of cowbells).

Oh ya... lots of complete road and TT bikes too.

http://www.toyota-united.com/downloads/inventory.htm

I really wan tone of the team bikes... the listed price is $5500. I know that All I need to do is place an offer, and see if they accept it. I was thinking of offering $1000, as it looks like they have a ton of bikes that aren't going anywhere....

 

[peterhively]

Anyone have, or familiar with a Trek 2.3 road bike? It is their mid-range frame and has an aluminum front triangle and carbon fiber seatstays and chainstays.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/2_series/23/

My 10 year old Lemond Buenos Aires has a crack in the frame, and they are going to warranty it (lifetime warranty, sweet!). But Trek (who owns/owned Lemond, doesn't make a frame like that, so the shop owner said they would likely give me a 2.3 frame.

Looking for any feedback on the frame...found good reviews online.

Peter

 

[MotoWhip101]

I road bike...if anyone is down near monterey and wants to ride let me know!! I also can do bike repairs etc.

 

[bike_girl]

I have been distracting myself from unemployed life by riding my road bike as much as possible. If anyone in the east bay is ever down for say, three bears loop (i usually start in oakland, ride up tunnel to grizzly peak, over to s. park drive, down wildcat canyon, then start the loop. i come back up the same way) holler at your girl. i usually ride during the week.

also feel free to suggest a route, i am down for pretty much anything as long as it's LONG and HILLY

 

[MrCrash]

Losing my road bike racing virginity

About two weeks ago, I got a call from AFM fast guy Jeff Tigert

Jeff: WHAT'S UP MAN YOU BEEN TRAINING?

Me: Yeah, lots of low intensity volume on the roadie. What's up?

Jeff: ROAD BIKE RACE UP IN SANTA YNEZ IT'S ONLY FUCKIN HALF AN HOUR FROM YOU - YOU GOTTA DO IT MAN YOU'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR AN IRONMAN I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS COME ON

Me: Shit dude, I have no job right now, I dunno if i...

Jeff: I WILL PAY FOR YOUR ENTRY MAN THOSE GUYS ARE GONNA BE TEAMING UP TOGETHER SO I'M GONNA NEED A TEAMMATE WE CAN DO THIS MAN

Me: I dunno, it depends on my school sched...

Jeff: DON'T GIMME THAT DUDE IT'S ON A SATURDAY YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE SCHOOL COME ON MAN WE NEED TO TEAM UP IF WE WANNA STAND A CHANCE AGAINST THOSE GUYS COME ON MAN TELL ME YOU'RE IN COME ON COME ONNNNN...

Me: Ok, I'm in.

Long story short, Jeff and I ended up in separate waves of the "Cat 5" class - which consisted of the least experienced riders. As a result, there was no teaming up involved.

Jeff finished in between the main pack and the breakaway group of his race, which caught the Cat 3 field before the halfway point of the race.

I didn't do quite so well, getting dropped around Mile 5 on the first decent climb - I think I sustained a heart rate of 190+ for 5 or so minutes before just letting em go.

Next 5 miles I was on my own, with the pack barely in sight ahead of me and no one behind me. Eventually, a pair of riders caught me, giving me the chance to recuperate in their draft.

After turning around at Mile 16, we started climbing, which allowed me to drop the group in addition to picking off about 3 more riders. Gotta love the triple crankset!

One of the riders zapped me back on the flat after the descent - he struggled on climbs and was tentative downhill, but he could spin up a storm on the flats. Sitting in his draft, we closed the gap on one more rider, whom I caught after slingshotting my way forward, eventually edging him out in a sprint to the finish. Turns out he was a national level motorcycle racer, just like Jeff.

I didn't think I'd have that much fun on skinny tires, but holy shit the strategic aspect of the sport is something else! Drafting, attacking, slingshotting, recuperating - all these other dimensions I had never even considered as a mountain bike racer. Always drafting, attacking, slingshotting, timing, recuperating - it was fun!

I'm looking forward to giving another one a go later this year. I'll take a step back for now so I can work on a few things - I know where I need to improve, and I have an idea on how to do it. After that, I'll give it a shot again.

Retreat, retrain, retry!

 

[DucatiHoney]

Fantastic, Mikey!

My plan is to sign up for the century again this year. You in? It'll be a mellow milk run for you in comparison to what you've been doing, you animal.

 

[cheezy]

Way to go Mikey! Kinda like motorcycle racing sans recuperating huh.

Maybe i'll see you out at one of the races this year.

DucatiHoney...

 

[DucatiHoney]

Cheez-whiz - let's go riding again soon.

 

[cheezy]

nah.:|


Kidding, you just let me know.

 

[jstabeemer]

I would love to ride with someone. I always go alone but then again I don't have to wait for anyone. I have not been riding much seeing I seem to keep getting jobs one after the other lately. After I am done with what I am working on I am going to take a few weeks just to ride. I am doing the 100 diabetes ride in May but it is mostly flat. Not a hard ride but fun non the less.. I am always looking for teammates in this ride if anyone is down for it. You can use the link in my sig and sign up with the team if you want. My 6 y/o is one of my teammates. He is doing the 25 mile ride.

 

[DucatiHoney]

nah.:|

Fine. I'm gonna go riding with the 6 y.o. who's riding 25 miles. I'll make that little booger give me a tow. I need the drafting practice.

 

[MrCrash]

Fantastic, Mikey!

My plan is to sign up for the century again this year. You in? It'll be a mellow milk run for you in comparison to what you've been doing, you animal.

That could be fun! Last year was a good time

If signups are still open when I finish up here, I might join ya!

Way to go Mikey! Kinda like motorcycle racing sans recuperating huh.

Maybe i'll see you out at one of the races this year.

The strategy probably surpasses anything I've come across in motorcycles. The use of the slipstream, breakaways, and teamwork added several dimensions I found both fun and fascinating.

I'm definitely up for another roadrace once I finish things up at school!

 

[SerottaK]

If you think a normal road race is complicated try a couple of crits.

 

[wickerman777]

If you think a normal road race is complicated try a couple of crits.

Yeah mike this might be more your thing to start. I haven't done a crit yet but with the XC and CX racing experience I think a criterium is the way to break into road racing. I'm having a shoulder replaced this year so as I begin to get back into biking I'll probably start with road first before hitting the dirt again. I'm excited to explore yet another aspect of racing bicycles

 

[MrCrash]

If you think a normal road race is complicated try a couple of crits.

I dunno if I'm game for the whole bar-to-bar thing going on in crits. Even the main group in the road race was a little too close for me to feel comfortable. I wouldn't say it was complicated - more like "pleasantly multi-faceted" - which was definitely the neatest part of the whole deal

If anyone in the east bay is ever down for say, three bears loop (i usually start in oakland, ride up tunnel to grizzly peak, over to s. park drive, down wildcat canyon, then start the loop. i come back up the same way) holler at your girl. i usually ride during the week.

Nice loop! That was one of my favorites when I was living in Berkeley.

I'm looking to put together a couple of good rides over Spring Break when I'm back in town - if you're looking for hills, I'll make sure you get your money's worth . DucatiHoney knows all about it, having joined me on several pedal-powered asphalt suffer-fests.

Just remember to eat your wheaties that morning:

 

[cheezy]

^ooh, i've done that (read: conquered). Marin St. correct? Close to a 30% grade if i'm not mistaken. Several times I felt as if I was going to flip over backwards, it was that steep.

So steep in fact, that a Prius conked out just before the top.

That street is sadistic.

 

[DucatiHoney]

I made it one block. ONE. I swear an old lady with a walker and small dog passed me with a look on her face watching me barely keep the bike upright because I was going so slowly. The only thing worse than going up is going down. I don't have the brakes for that street. I needed a milkshake after that--and a change of shorts.

 

[cheezy]

I find that hard to believe from someone that beat me up Mt. Diablo.

You know, i'll pedal down Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hammy but there's no way in hell I would go down Marin St. You're crazy I tell ya, crazy.

 

[DucatiHoney]

Going up Marin - that was my third day of riding a bicycle on the street I think. I've gotten lazier since then.

Going up Diablo - I had to pee real bad.

(and I'm all fat n outta shape--my winter form--right now.)

 

[Roadstergal]

I signed up for the Cinderella Classic this weekend, after a co-worker recommended it.

I was tired after doing a 60-mile day last year, but I was carrying camping gear and a tent up and down a few hills, so I think it should be a lot better.

I rode a women's-specific-fitment road bike a few weeks ago (Fuji Finest 2.0) and absolutely loved the way it fit, but I can't spend money these days on anything but SM.