My first century on a mountain bike
12-02-09, 12:54 PM
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My first century on a mountain bike
I crashed my road bike two days before I was to ship it to AZ to ride in the Tour De Tucson.
So instead of canceling the ride, I purchased a mountain bike online from Bikes Direct and had it shipped directly to AZ. The ride is 109 miles long mainly on roads, with two river crossing obstacles where the bike is dismounted and carried over. Although my saddle time was a bit bit longer, by only stopping twice briefly I was able to beat my total time of last year. The first 80 miles or so were brutal, blazing my own trail through the hills, but I was able to join some 20+ mph pacelines for the last 30 miles or so which really helped my time. I left the bike out there, so now riding the mountain bike in the Tour De Tucson will be an annual event for me.
So instead of canceling the ride, I purchased a mountain bike online from Bikes Direct and had it shipped directly to AZ. The ride is 109 miles long mainly on roads, with two river crossing obstacles where the bike is dismounted and carried over. Although my saddle time was a bit bit longer, by only stopping twice briefly I was able to beat my total time of last year. The first 80 miles or so were brutal, blazing my own trail through the hills, but I was able to join some 20+ mph pacelines for the last 30 miles or so which really helped my time. I left the bike out there, so now riding the mountain bike in the Tour De Tucson will be an annual event for me.
12-03-09, 09:46 AM
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Sounds like a great ride!! Good for you, and kudos to you! I am a newby, so forgive the derailing with the following question; You indicated you purchased a MB from BikesDirect. What was your overall experience, as far as quality, assembly, performance, etc.? Maybe you had done this before, so it was 'old hat', but I am considering making a purchase of one of BD's CX bikes, and I am trying to make an "informed decision". Please advise.
12-03-09, 02:54 PM
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Sounds like a great ride!! Good for you, and kudos to you! I am a newby, so forgive the derailing with the following question; You indicated you purchased a MB from BikesDirect. What was your overall experience, as far as quality, assembly, performance, etc.? Maybe you had done this before, so it was 'old hat', but I am considering making a purchase of one of BD's CX bikes, and I am trying to make an "informed decision". Please advise.
12-04-09, 06:56 AM
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Great ride! And you did it faster!!! I must know...did you ride through the washes since you had a MTB? My hubby says I'm way faster on my MTB. Not sure why. I think I really just like it more.
Hey, JT1, there's another little MTB century type ride in Leadville, CO, that you might like since you're rockin long distances on a MTB!
Also, how did you crash your bike? Did you break the frame?
Hey, JT1, there's another little MTB century type ride in Leadville, CO, that you might like since you're rockin long distances on a MTB!
Also, how did you crash your bike? Did you break the frame?
12-04-09, 04:25 PM
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Great ride! And you did it faster!!! I must know...did you ride through the washes since you had a MTB? My hubby says I'm way faster on my MTB. Not sure why. I think I really just like it more.
Hey, JT1, there's another little MTB century type ride in Leadville, CO, that you might like since you're rockin long distances on a MTB!
Also, how did you crash your bike? Did you break the frame?
Hey, JT1, there's another little MTB century type ride in Leadville, CO, that you might like since you're rockin long distances on a MTB!
Also, how did you crash your bike? Did you break the frame?
I think there is a bit more elevation gain in the Leadville race.
The crash was all my fault.
Went for a nice easy ride in Busse Woods before packing my bike, slid on some leaves and crashed into a curb. If it wasn't for the curb my bike would have been fine. The 08 Madone doesn't have a removeable derailer hanger, and it snapped off on the curb.
The good news is that Trek repaired the frame for $180. So with shipping, tear-down, and rebuild the crash cost me $300 total.The better news is it encouraged me to buy a new bike to leave in AZ.
