Fifty Plus (50+) - About that Pinarello----.

Kragg on the forum has just started a thread about Getting older. I am just about to retire and I can see that Retirement is going to give me a new lease of life. I already have a couple of Road bikes but I wanted a new bike. Wanted- not needed. My intention was to stay Giant but the bikes were not available. Luckily I had tried the FP1 last Autumn and I was struck by it. Aluminium which I like- Tiagra was not a bad groupset but that bike really suited me. I dismissed it as I thought I would be posing with a Pinarello- even if it was a cheap one.

I have been around bikes long enough to know what is worth having. They have to be a reputable make- The groupset has to be up to standard and wheels have to be of a "Certain" quality. So why was I looking at Giant bikes for my N+1? Trek- Cannondale- Specialised- and Giant all make good bikes- but by buying elsewhere you can get better. I found this out with My Boreas and definitely the Pinnie. Others like Colnago- BMC and Willier may not have the Big Name and they may be a bit expensive but you pay for quality.

Price comparison will not work from £to$ as bikes are not cheap over here but This FpUno is the cheapest road bike I have bought. It was not that cheap but With 105 groupset being the standard and Every one wanting C.F.--Would you even contemplate an aluminium frame with Tiagra groupset?

I did and I have not been proved wrong so far. The Ally frame is triple butted and The geometry suits me. Frame size was carefully sussed out and the bike fits me perfectly. The lowly Tiagra Groupset works as well as my 5 year old mix of 105/Ultegra on the other bikes. The wheels are shimano R 501's and Although not top quality- are better than inhouse wheels supplied on other bikes. And I hate to say it- that colour has grown on me.

I like this bike a lot. It will see me through for a few years and I have no regrets. If Pinarello's cheapest offering rides as good as this- then I am glad I did not try the Dogma. I could not afford one.

My Defy was going to be the only road bike I would need! After all, I didn't need anything better since I wasn't going to race. At least that is what told myself and my wife. Visiting LBS's kept pushing me toward that N+1 until I fInally broke down and gave in to temptation. The Colnago is a retirement to myself. And that's my justification!

I guess I could say, welcome to the club. My Klein effected me the same way as your Pinarello. In fact I was looking at a Giant when the Klein caught my eye. I didn't "need" another bike, after all I had my Lapierre and it did everything I asked of her. But the Klein was something different and I wanted it. ow I am surprised at how well designed it is and it may even become my century bike. I know it is going to be my go to bike for around town rides.

One of the things I think many younger riders or newer riders fail to appreciate is how quickly technology moves in the bike world. It does not surprise me at all that today's Tiagra group-set functions as well as your four year older 105/Ultegra mix. And, as most of us have come to understand, it's not so much the frame material as it is in how well that material is being used. Lastly, you've got a bike that fits you properly. I'm glad you like your bike alot... it sounds like it's going to be a winner for you.

I didn't need to but having cash from a motorcycle sale, I went ahead and bought a Pinerrello (FP2). I am 210 pounds, 64 years old and ride it over 100 miles weekly. I never imagined how much I could fall in love with a bicycle! I put a Brooks ProTi seat on, Ultegra crank, DuraAce cassette and Mavic Ksyerium Elite wheels and I ride down the street with a smile. Maybe it's all mental but I just feel like a beter cyclist on the thing. Kind of like when you try some hi end demo skiis and feel like you can do no wrong! I have 5 other bikes and they now tend to hang there gathering dust (except the mountain bike). If someone calls me a poser because I ride a Pinney, screw em!

Agree. After putting 25cm tires on my Pinarello FP6, it rides like a dream. As with you, the other bikes sit, mostly unused, in the extra bedroom. There really is something about the ride of a Pinarello. It's not hype.

Although I have the Pinarello FP Uno-- The same could be said for most of the other smaller quality bike manufacturers. When manufacturing for the standard cyclist- you have to keep within certain price restraints just so you can be competitive. Once you stop thinking of the Usual big name bikes- you fall into a different category of buyers. Now I am not going to slag off the Big Names as They all serve their purpose and supply good bikes for the price and in the higher brackets do make bikes that are top knotch that do perform. But there are a lot of smaller names that supply better. The one downside is the price but you have to realise that they may not having the buying power or the same type of customer. They will not be selling in the same numbers of the big names so production costs will be higher aswell.

But what you get for that higher price is a bike that is not quite the same as the others. Can't tell you what it is but the choice of groupset- components and the attention to detail just adds up to a better bike. Of course it still takes a level of competence by the rider to get the best out of that bike but after 20 years riding I feel that I have that competence.

Now all I have to do is get the miles in to make that Investment in a good bike worthwhile. Just a pity that the speed on those rides will not be as high as it used to be.

One of the things I think many younger riders or newer riders fail to appreciate is how quickly technology moves in the bike world.

Many of us older more experienced riders fail to appreciate that too. Why should we? Our old bikes work fine.

One of the things I think many younger riders or newer riders fail to appreciate is how quickly technology moves in the bike world. It does not surprise me at all that today's Tiagra group-set functions as well as your four year older 105/Ultegra mix. And, as most of us have come to understand, it's not so much the frame material as it is in how well that material is being used. Lastly, you've got a bike that fits you properly. I'm glad you like your bike alot... it sounds like it's going to be a winner for you.


You know you have a point. When I wanted to get back into cycling after about a 19 year break I had no idea how road bikes had changed. Even cruisers and comfort bikes had derailleurs that could be shifted by pushing a lever or twisting a grip. Then I discovered Brifters and it was a revelation. my hand didn't have to leave the bars to shift. I could downshift with the push of a finger without wondering it I was going to drop into the correct gear. And the last road bike I had back in 89 was a feather light 22 pounds. Today that is a heavy bike. Every LBS stocks my size tire and most likely my brand. And they are all better than the 27x 1 1/4 tires I had in the 70s.

Like Stapfam I wanted something different and I went with a smaller manufacturer, Lapierre. But chances are when I pull up next to another rider they won't be on the same bike I am. I start thinking of the Adams Family and Gomez when I think of the Bike. I my change her name.
Il m'incite à parler à ma bicyclette comme je suis français