Road Cycling - this bike is a frickin' sports car!!

I did it. I bought the Univega Modo Volare on Saturday. Woo! What a bike! :-) Took it for a 14 mile ride yesterday and, man it flew! I'm still getting used to...

a) the feel of a road bike -- bumpier ride causing slightly sore butt which means I need more saddle time

b) using clipless pedals for the first time (Speedplay x2) -- but I haven't fallen.... yet

c) the handlebars -- spent most of my time on the hoods to have easy access to brakes & gears

d) the shifting -- different than my other bike

It's amazing... the difference between this bike and my Gary Fisher MTB I had been riding on the road is incredible. I can hit the same speed that I normally would, but it's practically effortless.

I climbed one of my usual hills and it went great. BTW, I stayed with the exact set-up that the bike came with (25 tooth big cog). We'll see how it goes, but I just might be ok.

My BF and I went to a parking lot first, so that I could practice some unclipping/stopping before we hit the road. I had practiced a little at the bike shop on Saturday as well. They set me up on a trainer. (Hmm... I may look into getting a trainer for winter... LOOK WHAT YOU PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO ME! HEEHEE! :-D)

If I had a digital camera, I'd post a picture. Maybe I can borrow one...

:beer:

You are in some deep trouble now.
Next thing you know you'll take an
affinity for things Italian, Then you'll
start singing arias. . . no wait, that was Breaking away.
Congratulation on the bike, its a really nice one.
So how far down did the LBS go on price?
(if you don't mind us asking).
Seriously tho, better watch it soon you're gonna
want to do some serious rides (centuries), and
you're poor Gary Fisher will be unused in the garage

Welcome to the world of Roadies. . . :D

Marty

Hey! I Sing arias!

Vesti la giubba e la faccia infarina.
La gente paga e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
ridi, Pagliaccio... e ognun applaudirà!

Good choice on the bike, Blue. You're going to love it... compared to an Italian-steel road bike with Italian components, riding an MTB is like... well, driving a bus...

Originally posted by lotek
Y
So how far down did the LBS go on price?
(if you don't mind us asking).
Seriously tho, better watch it soon you're gonna
want to do some serious rides (centuries), and
you're poor Gary Fisher will be unused in the garage

Welcome to the world of Roadies. . . :D

Marty

After some consultation with my BF and a couple of friends, I decided that $1,050 was a fair price for the bike and agreed to that (the 'regular price' on my receipt is listed at $1,300).

Of course, by the time you add on the pedals, shoes, computer (Cateye Astrale and I'm glad I didn't have to install it -- been there done that. They saved me tons of time there), frame pump, underseat bag, & taxes... it came to about $1,400... no small chunk of change, but d@mn worth it.

As for the fate of the Fisher, we'll probably put the MTB tires back on it and I'll have a decent bike to try some trails. Also, if my sister wants to go riding with me sometime, she could ride that bike. It has served me well for the past year and will continue to do so, but my main steed will certainly be the Univega. :D

Sounds like you've fallen in love!;) You're gonna love road biking. It's almost like flying. Best of luck on your new "ride".

Once again my favorite saying "welcome to the addiction!" :beer:

And the price is cheap compared to a year's worth of golf, orbuying a Bass Boat, or paying you part of the Cardologist bill.:p :mad:

Originally posted by velocipedio
Hey! I Sing arias!

Vesti la giubba e la faccia infarina.
La gente paga e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
ridi, Pagliaccio... e ognun applaudirà!


Hey me too . . .

colnago pinarello
Amo il mio confente
Amo il mio masi
Quando para mucho mia more de felice corazon
Mundo paparazzi miamore chicka ferdy parasol
Cuesto obrigado tanta mucho que can eat it carousel
pogliaghi e perogetti
derosa bottechia

:lol:

Marty

/me is starting to feel the roadie itch.... DAM* YOU ALL!!!!! LOL :)

I too have a Gary Fisher with slicks. Was doing some road riding yesterday when this roadie catches up to me and says hi. Then he ever so slowly inches away from me, while I try my hardest to keep up, to no avail. I don't think I'll be getting a road bike anytime soon though, after having just bought this bike in April. I'd feel pretty stupid leaving this bike to gather dust in the garage after only having owned it for such a little time. I think my decision not to get a road bike arose from the fact that they cost so much more for a similar level of componentry as a MTB. Plus, I did not want the "hard-core" image associated with road bikes... you know, the shoes, the jersey, the gloves, the shorts. I think I will use this bike to "train" for road riding for a couple years... then later when I switch to a road bike, I'll automatically bump up from a C rider to a B+ rider..... what do yall think? And how better to appreciate the speed and comfort of a road bike than to endure the testing "crucible" of a MTB? :)

Oh yeah... and congrats on the switch OctoberBlue.... you have made me thoroughly jealous :).

Originally posted by deliriou5
/me is starting to feel the roadie itch.... DAM* YOU ALL!!!!! LOL :)

Plus, I did not want the "hard-core" image associated with road bikes... you know, the shoes, the jersey, the gloves, the shorts.

Oh yeah... and congrats on the switch OctoberBlue.... you have made me thoroughly jealous :).

It starts with the gloves, then the shorts... then the jersey... and before ya know it, you admit that darn it, if you're gonna ride on the road, ya might as well get the right kinda bike. Hee! :D

Seriously, if you don't have some padded shorts, get some. They make all the difference in the world, even on a MTB. And, having the 3 available pockets on a jersey is just soooo convenient, no matter what type of bike you have. Gloves are great, too. They help cushion the ride a bit. I bought some gloves shortly after buying my Fisher. Performance.com usually has good prices on that kind of stuff.

Which Gary Fisher do you have? I've got a Tarpon.

Thanks for the congrats!

I :love: my new bike. Ok, guys... I've attempted to attach a photo. This isn't my ACTUAL bike, but it's the same model, year, & paint job as mine. (I found the .jpg online.) Bear with me... this is the first time I've tried to include a photo in a post...

YEP, SHE'S HOOKED!!!!!!!!

And...another bites the dust, and another one, and another one...

Originally posted by 1oldRoadie
Once again my favorite saying "welcome to the addiction!" :beer:

And the price is cheap compared to a year's worth of golf, orbuying a Bass Boat, or paying you part of the Cardologist bill.:p :mad:

I bet you say this to everyone who announces they got a new road bike. :)

Carl

Originally posted by OctoberBlue


It starts with the gloves, then the shorts... then the jersey... and before ya know it, you admit that darn it, if you're gonna ride on the road, ya might as well get the right kinda bike. Hee! :D



That's the truth!

Have you noticed too how willing your LBS is to help you accessorize yourself and your bike?

I see a balance in the checkbook and ask my wife, "How'd we get that? Haven't I been to the LBS this week?

:beer:

Carl

Hey OctoberBlue,

I know what you mean!! I got my road bike two months ago and have ridden my MTB once since (It feels like i'm hauling a couch around!!).
I had put slicks on my MTB and the tried to do 110KM with a bunch of roadies, yea right! A week later I bit the bone and got myself a Cannondale R500 CADD4. Not that I wasn't a bike freak before, but now it's ALL I think about. Gear, clothes, new toys, on bike posture, foot position, breathing, cadence, obsessively cleaning Katie (yes she has a name:rolleyes: ), ect.

It's a wonderful life, isn't it!!:D :D

Originally posted by Betsy Girl
........ Not that I wasn't a bike freak before, but now it's ALL I think about. Gear, clothes, new toys, on bike posture, foot position, breathing, cadence, obsessively cleaning Katie (yes she has a name:rolleyes: ), ect.

It's a wonderful life, isn't it!!:D :D

My wife claims that the only reason I work is to buy more bike parts!

Welcome to the roadie world October Blue!

Soon you too will be completing centuries in under 7 hours, and entering duatholons just because!

Welcome to the bright side of the moon.

Ohhhhhh, yeah...

Going zip with a road bike is like a blowtorch through butter. Doing the same on a MtB is like trying to use a hot knife through... solid granite. I got hooked this spring, and I have been hooked quite solidly. I now work in my LBS, for the cash and discounts to buy bike stuff with. My parents also accuse me of working to finance my bike habit. Know what I tell them?

You're darn right.

And I wish I could sing arias. That would be so cool. I could sing this to a girl, and she'd wonder if I was singing to her or my bike. Come to think of it, I'm wondering who'd I sing to.

Hmmm...

Originally posted by peawee03
Ohhhhhh, yeah...

.... I got hooked this spring, and I have been hooked quite solidly. I now work in my LBS, for the cash and discounts to buy bike stuff with. My parents also accuse me of working to finance my bike habit. Know what I tell them?

You're darn right.

And I wish I could sing arias. That would be so cool. I could sing this to a girl, and she'd wonder if I was singing to her or my bike. Come to think of it, I'm wondering who'd I sing to.

Hmmm...

I like this guy!:D :thumbup:

Thanks!

:beer:

Originally posted by peawee03
I now work in my LBS, for the cash and discounts to buy bike stuff with.

LOL:D

That's what I do...the pay I get is pretty lousy compared to the other summer jobs I could do (*cough* computer stuff *cough*) but the discounts are second to none.

My parents know that pretty much every penny I make goes into cycling related stuff heh...but it's not *their* money so they don't feel so bad when hundreds and thousands of dollars of my wages go into upgrades or a new bike etc.

Originally posted by deliriou5
/me is starting to feel the roadie itch.... DAM* YOU ALL!!!!! LOL :)


I went through this just last year. After having spent most of my cycling life since my early teens on MTBs and a brief stint of having a roadbike 10 years ago which I hardly rode, I decided early last year to get a nice new roadbike and was hooked. As much as I love hitting the trails, I've grown a bit tired of riding through a forest only to end up back in the same parking lot I started. I've been craving riding through small towns and neighborhoods, gliding along a lakeside or coastal road....

I still spend a fair amount of time with my MTB but this morning, I decided to ride my MTB with my wife (still trying to get her hooked on cycling) and noticed that my tyres were flat. |8^( I guess I've been neglecting it a little bit much. Part of the reason is also because my primary mountain bike riding partner broke the frame on his Sugar2 a couple of months ago and he's been waiting for the warranty replacement to come back.

Marty... Umm, you're a great guy and all, but your singing! Do you know è amore, o i miei Gios bei?... :D

Peawee... sing to your bike!

Originally posted by velocipedio
Marty... Umm, you're a great guy and all, but your singing! Do you know è amore, o i miei Gios bei?... :D

Il Gios è piacevole ma il serotta è un'opera d'arte

I actually prefer this little ditty:
Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin
A la rose s'assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs riant au matin

Doucement glissons De son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l'onde frémissante
D'une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord,
Où la source dort et
L'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.

Sous le dôme épais ou le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons
Ensemble!

Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin
A la rose s'assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble

Doucement glissons de son flot charmant,
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l'onde frémissante
D'une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord
Où la source dort et
L'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.

Sous le dôme épais ou le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons
Ensemble!
My singing ain't the greatest but I can whistle! :lol:

Marty

Originally posted by peawee03
Ohhhhhh, yeah...

Going zip with a road bike is like a blowtorch through butter. Doing the same on a MtB is like trying to use a hot knife through... solid granite. I got hooked this spring, and I have been hooked quite solidly. I now work in my LBS, for the cash and discounts to buy bike stuff with. My parents also accuse me of working to finance my bike habit. Know what I tell them?

You're darn right.

And I wish I could sing arias. That would be so cool. I could sing this to a girl, and she'd wonder if I was singing to her or my bike. Come to think of it, I'm wondering who'd I sing to.

Hmmm...


I'm exactly the same. My parents asked me, the only reason you work in the bike shop is so you can get 50% off isn't it... And im like yup.

Well... Lakme isn't exactly my favoe, but that aria is probably the best part of the whole show. I lean more toward the Italian and 20th century German stuff, m'self...

[Two roadies talking about Opera... what next?]

Octoberblue, welcome to the roadie club. I bought my first road bike to get in shape for mountain biking. I've never looked back. I take my mtn bike out for a spin a couple of times a summer out of pity. Otherwise it's me and the road. Yay!

My wife claims that the only reason I work is to buy more bike parts!

Huh? There's other reasons??? :confused:


Ohh Yea, Sports drinks and power bars!

LMAO

I too have crossed over from MTBs and BMXs - i took my new Road machine out the other day to test it after building it, only did a couple of miles, it FLYS! where did all that power in my legs go on MTBs etc lol

blimey

P.

Heres my bike... only £500 - but thats still alot for a thin piece of metal ;)

http://www.thepaulius.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7

Originally posted by thepaulius
Heres my bike... only � - but thats still alot for a thin piece of metal ;)

Hmmm... 500 GBP is equivalent to about 790 USD. You could do a lot worse for that price. Full Campy Xenon, slick looking wheels, carbon fork, carbon post... It looks like a very nice bike.

yep it is a very nice looking bike, im pleased with the out-come :O)

i forget im not on my MTB sometime and go to bunny hop drains lol opps

Originally posted by thepaulius
i forget im not on my MTB sometime and go to bunny hop drains lol opps

I do that from time to time as I also come from a mountain biking background. Good thing I picked relatively strong wheels for my roadbike.

OctoberBlue, you realize that now you'll have to change your avatar. :D


Congrats on the new bike! Nice!! :beer:

OctoberBlue, now you will be haning out more in this forum :) It looks like you have the best of both worlds, your F1 car for the road, and your mtb for the dirt. Good luck with the road bike, i got mine 4 months ago and have never looked back!

-Ross

uh.... she got this bike a LONG time ago!!! and i remember too!!

Hey, yeah! I've had the bike for over a year now and I'm still loving it! My, how time flies when you're having fun.

And I never got around to changing my avatar yet... Hmm... guess I should look into changing my 'name', too. Perhaps OctoberRed? Red October? Wait -- there's a copyright on that one. Oh well. :D

If you're lookin' for me, I'll be on the road somewhere in northeast Ohio... :p