Minnesota Expat

Ach. I see. Alright, after this thread I'll keep my training/racing questions and updates in here and general road stuff (like what color bidon!) in "41" But I do see a core of expertise in here. That's why I posted here.

Racer Ex 

It's actually less of a 41 than it looks on surface and we're glad you checked in. Just don't post anything about somebody who didn't wave at you during a training ride

Minnesota Expat

Well, my shop is NOT Brittons, it is Bicycle Heaven if anyone is really interested. I've just heard about Britton's from a couple different places. A family friend from Minnesota is a Fredericksburg snowbird. He's 60+ and rides a lot in Texas and in Minnesota, mostly group rides, but also time trials. He shops at Britton's when in Texas. Also, the owner of Britton's used to be a neighbor, just a few houses down. But he doesn't live there anymore. His family does. Enough said.

Cleave

^^^ I guess my 'BTW' was a bit out of context. I was answering your 'BTW' question about Britton's further up -- not inferring anything about where you ended up getting your new bike.

Minnesota Expat

Turkey/Cleave: Thanks. I'm am HAPPY with the EVO. No long hard rides yet, like everywhere else it's been cold here too (I know, I'm becoming a real cold weather Texas wimp), so I've just been setting up the computer/monitors and logging a couple 10 milers. But those rides were very smooth, comfortable, and I found the bike was very, very snappy.

I can noticeably attack the apex of a corner much later and move quicker through the corner than on my old Trek. I don't feel like I'm on a tower leaning into a corner! It's a more aggressive position, yet feels more stable. I also seriously stood on the pedals on a long flat stretch and tried to push it over 30mph. It responded quickly, but I was pushing against some wind, so I don't know. I'll keep checking that out. The Shimano 105's are an improvement, but still not as responsive as I'd like. That might be the first upgrade. Or the wheels.

I want to try a couple hills north of town this weekend. I have a group ride Saturday (depending on the weather) and another 20-miler plus that includes a stretch with a 1/4 mile 17% grade, followed by a mile long 10% grade. One right after another. And it's all chip seal. That 10% grade has hurt me bad in the past. But I have different gearing now, than the "triple" on my Trek, and I think the "hurt cave" might have moved further up the hill. We'll see. The descent down these hills is on the way out of town, so if I post Sunday to the road rash thread, you'll know what happened!

In conclusion, the EVO was a good choice. The bike clearly exceeds my current skill and conditioning, giving me room to improve. But like both you implied, it's about the frame, and I can upgrade the components as I improve. Who knows, after some more time on group rides this winter and spring, I might be ready for some local crits this summer!

Minnesota Expat

Roger. As they say

AzTallRider

Even the high end Trek's are (IME, and at the sizes I need), hard to get around a corner. They try to be all things to all people, and end up with a comfortable ride. but one where you have to focus to get it to turn. They tend (again, at my sizes) to push your weight too far back. I had my saddle as far forward as it would go on my Madone to get it to turn. More drop also helps get the weight in the right spot - get's the body down where it needs to be. Cannondale has a stronger reputation for bikes that corner, and hence they are extremely popular for crit's, at least around here.

Enjoy your bike!

turkey9186

I picked up my bike last night, so I have not had a chance to ride it yet. I did notice the stock front wheel is a lot heavier than the Ksyrium SSC/SL I am going to pull off the old bike. I would consider wheels as the first upgrade if you want to cut weight.

Between the CAAD5 and CAAD7 designs, CDale tweaked the frame geometry, which greatly changed the cornering for the better. I will not say it is twitchy, just very responsive. The one negative I have read about the EVO is that because of the weight, it has a tendency to wash out in corners sooner than other frames. I will let you know when I get chance to ride it.

Want hills, try Soaring Eagle on the east side of Canyon Lake. It was part of the longer route on the Tour de Gruene.

JB

Racer Ex 

If JV is around tell him the Cat 1 from California said hello.

BTW, pics or it doesn't exist.

sarals 

Expat, you are finding the same handling qualities - and I mean THE SAME - that endeared my CAAD 10 to me! It's a snappy, stable, confident corning machine. It was mentioned that the CAAD 10 is harsher than the EVO's - maybe so, I haven't ridden an EVO, so I can't directly compare. For me, 60 - 80 miles on it is NO big deal, it's no worse than either of my carbon bikes. Each to their own, right? The important thing is you LIKE your EVO! That's fabulous!!!

And---what Ex said - pics - in the Race Equipment thread!

Minnesota Expat

The pics are coming, but they will have to wait until this weekend. Staging is everything and I have to pull the cassette and take off the dork disk!

Minnesota Expat

No pictures yet, but I bought my USA Cycling license today. Wooo hooo!

Post Script. What's with USA Cycling putting "racing age" on everything? I really don't need to see that!

revchuck 

Racing age is used when you enter Master's age group races. It's an additional column on the results sheet for those races, so you can say "Damn, I got crushed by a guy ten years older than me!" For me, seeing that is equal parts frustration and inspiration.

Keep in mind that many (most?) of the guys you'll be racing against in Master's racing have 30+ years' experience. I started a thread here asking which Cat 4 - Senior's or Master's - would be the better choice to race, and the consensus was that Master's would be harder.

Hermes

My observation is the more one "thinks" about age, the poorer the results. Age can NEVER be used as an excuse for poor results. There are older racers that are faster than me sprinting and in time trials. Most, if not all, of the younger guys are faster than me and many of the guys the same age are faster than me. Ergo, most racers independent of age are faster than me. I just got over it and work on my strengths and limiters and forgot about age. Enjoy racing with all the age groups especially the younger men. Racing with the fastest guys, will make you faster. Not getting chronologically older is not an alternative. Getting mentally older is within your control. Welcome to hell.

AzTallRider

I've mentioned this book several times before. "Younger Next Year" is great, although it's preaching to the choir for most of us, telling us to do what we already do. One of the key messages though, is that "moderate exercise" just doesn't cut it. You need intensity. That's a lesson that applies within the overall realm of cycling. The key difference between being "cycling fit", and "racing fit", which is entirely different, is the intensity of the effort, and the ability to repeat that quickly. Chuck, you are going to find that, as you move from those incredible miles you've put in into the build phase, and start doing intense intervals, you will become an entirely different animal than your 'long group ride' friends. Until you get there, you don't understand the difference. Once you do, it changes your perspective. And part of that perspective is what Hermes is talking about. You clearly have the discipline to put in the effort to get that level where you are riding and racing with whomever is there, and you don't even think about their age. You are evaluating what they can do, period, not saying "so-and-so is such-and-such age". And many younger people won't be capable of what you can do. You will know it, and they will know it. Your friends in what we sometimes call here the 'tourist' category, will still be your friends, and people you can enjoy a ride with. But they won't be riding the way you do.. they won't have the speed, nor the instinct. Their pain caves won't be as deep. Their positions will not be aero. They will always be on the hoods, and their cadences will seem slow... they will allow way too much space ahead of themselves, etc. etc.

You are moving into new territory, Chuck. Enjoy the trip. I sure am.

sarals 

Chuck, I just love the way AzT clearly puts things! He's right, completely. Have fun storming the castle, Chuck - you're gonna be good!

revchuck 

AzTR - Thanks for the exhortation! I've already found myself dropping out-of-shape Cat 3s, though that's probably a temporary situation. Still, I've found that I can hang with racers who aren't out-of-shape, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm really curious about how my first crit will go this year - I'm both faster and more confident than last year. I've gone from wondering if I can hang with the pack to visualizing a CDR-style sneaky up the side jump on the last lap. I'll find out in a month how that works out.

The team usually supports the local club's metric centuries, and the first is a week after Rouge-Roubaix, so it'll be a nice end-of-recovery-week ride. It'll be fun to reconnect with the folks I used to ride with.