I realy need to get a bike separate bike for long rides. Here is my background:
Ofcouse I am a clide at 6' 2.5" and around 215 Lbs. My daily ride for the last year has been an '07 Garry Fisher Nirvanna. Previous to that I was riding a nearly 30 year old lower end Raleigh bike. I do like my Nirvanna and it is setup perfectly to get me to and from work year round. The bike is fully setup with fenders, rack, generator hub, B&W headlight, handlebar bag, saddle bags, Nokia Winter tires... the works. This is great for my 10 mile commute, but quite frankly the bike is HEAVY. I put is on the scale the other day and it came in at around 43 Lbs. Add lunch, water, and a chance of cloths for an additional 25 Lbs. It gives me a good workout, but I realy want a nice light bike for some fun long rides.
I went around to a few bike stores. The biggest store in town is also where I got my Nirvanna a year ago, and has a few good deals on some previous model year bikes. The staff has been very nice and helpful in the past and currently as well. IT is funny that they knew who I was just by the bike I pulled up in. I donn't think they have seen an other customer ride almost 100% through a Buffalo Winter. I'll pop in over lunch every so often to get some parts. hey have also ben very good in servicesing my bike when I've had some spoke issues. My goal is to continue to use the Nirvanna as my main commuter bike and certainly it will be my go to bike for going to the shops or riding when the weather is bad. I would like the new bike to be good for starting to add some significant mileage. I want to start riding it to work at least once per week maybe more and then add a nice 15 to 20 mile additionl section to my ride home. I also want to start participting in some club rides and definitely get my Metric centruy in before July and maybe complete a century by the end of this Summer.
Here is what has made it to my short list:
1. '07 Trek (I am pretty sure it was a 1500, but can't rember for sure) 1500 - Double, All 105 components. Aluminum frame.
2. '07 LeMonde Alpe d'Heuz Double, All 105 Components. Carbon Aluminum frame
http://bertsbikes.com/itemdetails.cf...gId=39&id=6099
3. 06' LeMonde Buenos Aires, Triple, All Ultegra Components Carbon Steel frame
http://bertsbikes.com/itemdetails.cf...gId=39&id=7964
The Trek was the cheapest by far going for around $850. This bike just didn't feel as stable to me. Since I've found that my Nirvanna has worked better for me with the saddle farther back, this nicely matches the way LeMonde bikes are setup (apparently that is how Greg liked his bikes when he was winning, so that is how you get his bikes). So the Trek is pretty much off the list.
Both LeMonde bikes cost the same so money is not a factor. I LOVE the way the Alpe d-Heuz looks, the blue is very nice. The Orange on the Buenos Aires is definitely a bit wilder, and will take some getting used to. From a component perspective the Buenos Aires clearly comes with better components. The question is weather I should go with a double or triple. The area around here is pertty flat, but if I do take my biek to some hilly aras I would imagine that having some extra lower gears could be very helpful. I have heard that triples are a bit more sensative with the shifting, but Ultegra should shift pretty well right?
So is a triple with the slightly more snesative shifting or is a double clearly the way to go? I know looks should be secondary. That is one reason my parents ended up with an Orange car back in the 1970's (it was the best car for the money on the lot, and I gues the color grew on us as well back then).
Your input is greatly appreciated.
Happy riding,
André