Originally Posted by
AlmostGreenGuy
I'm thinking that it if I can find a good road bike this summer, I'll try doing a century this fall.
Actually, it sounds like you already have a good road bike. You don't have to buy into the theory that only bikes approved by some elite group are worth riding.
I read Primo levi's autobiography. Before WWII, he and a friend would ride 100 miles into the Italian Alps with skis strapped to their bikes. They would back country ski for three days, then ride back to Milan. The bikes they rode were equivalent to what we would call singlespeed beach cruisers. Their skis were wooden, probably with splinters. They used the same shoes for both cycling and skiing. Would they have done better or had more fun with "better" bikes and skis?