AngryScientist 

i am admittedly a wishy washy fair weather cyclist. i picked up road biking as marathon cross training, for the low impact goodness.

i do however love biking when i'm actually in the saddle. i have an entry level sora equipped via narone, great bike, truly. i'm also a gear fanatic. i want to move into something a little nicer component wise, i'm thinking something steel with campy, something sweet. something that when i look at, i drool. something that makes riding a century feel like a trip to the grocery store.

i have no real interest in racing, i like going fast, long rides, epic scenery, tough climbs, and whooshing descents.

at the end of last season, i was ready for the bike upgrade, but i told myself, "self, let's see how much you actually ride next season, and if you're serious about putting the miles in, we can justify the new shiny, lusty purchase" its not about the money, its about the principal at this point.

i want to set a goal for this season, now that spring is here, at the end of october, i want to be able to say :

a) i was a serious rider this season, i can justify a new bike

or

b) i got by just fine with my via narone, and i barely road any miles, i dont need another bike.

this season i'm not planning on running as much, which will open up time for cycling.

so does anyone have any suggestions as to how to gauge if i met my goal, based on the above?? i'm trying to be honest with myself this year, and i want to be able to quantify my accomplishments or lack thereof.

sorry for the long post.

East Hill

Some people would laugh at you, and tell you that if you aren't racing, or being macho with the lads, that you aren't serious.

I'm not one of those. If you enjoy riding, you will probably enjoy riding even more with an upgrade. You can upgrade all the way to the peak of the bike heap, but that's probably not necessary.

I'm sure that people here will give you different recommendations. As for me, I have several bikes which are absolutely lovely to ride--a Richard Sachs with 24 inch wheels, a custom built Atala, and a 1986 Colnago Master.

I just tell myself that if I'm going to spend that much time on a bike, I should enjoy the ride. That's my best advice!

East Hill

DrPete 

Stop worrying about what other people want to call you and focus on these things. And if you want a new bike and have the cash, then do it. Come on here and ask about it and you'll get one or two reviews of said bike and a zillion reasons why you're not serious enough/don't deserve it/won't appreciate it/etc.

If you spend too much energy comparing yourself, you quickly learn that there's always someone out there who rides better/faster/farther/on a fancier bike than you. So why bother? Do what works for you.

Tulex

I"m told you have to buy the book......

kila kila kila

Same here. I don't really consider myself serious* unless I'm averaging 100+ miles a week, which isn't a lot. Others will set their limit higher, but they're also usually racing.



*I'm also not too serious about being serious, so I often fall far below this goal. C'est la vie.

DrPete 

99% of the population would consider you "serious" if you can ride for more than 5 miles.

Again, whose standards are you trying to live up to?

hockey4mnhs

Im shooting for 100 miles a week op what do you do in a week of rideing?

Ratfish

If your current bike fits you really well and is comfortable to ride on for hours, then there's probably no need to upgrade. I doubt that you're really finding the Sora lacking.

There's no amount of money that you can spend on a bike that's going to make a century easy (unless it has a motor), that's all in the legs/lungs/heart.

anticlimbactic

It's BF. It's a requirement that everything be defined, everyone classified and every miniscule detail fretted over.

But yes, just ride. Just enjoy! Set your own goals and get out there and pretty soon you'll realize that a good majority of the other people on the road don't GIVE A DAMN what classification you fit into and a good number of other cyclists and folks that work at shops are friendly and helpful folks if for no other reason than you're riding a bike too.

Tulex

I think that the bike is fine until it just won't do what you ask it to do. I started late last year on my mountain bike, following my wife around, as I could not keep up with her. She is way on the other end of the fitness scale, and was on her bike early that year. Then, late in the year, we got road bikes. We ride when we can, and push more and more. That first year, we would ride 20 miles at first, but by the end of the year, were doing rides of 60 and 80 miles. It just happens as you ride. I'm not a freak, I just push a little more each time. And like you, I don't ever see myself racing, I just like to get faster on my bike, and love the ride.

Enthalpic

You know you're serious when you start shaving your legs.

East Hill

That doesn't work for us women though (well, not most of us!).

East Hill

zzzwillzzz

and give up that silly running stuff

bdcheung

Yes. I have a suggestion.

Set concrete, quantifiable goals. None of this "am I a serious rider" crap. Here are some examples...
By October 31, I will have either:
1) Ridden an average of XX miles per week
2) Ridden, on average, X out of 7 days of the week
3) Participated in at least X group rides
etc

Or

Determine for yourself what constitutes "serious". Is a fair-weather runner serious? Is a runner who only ever hits the treadmill serious? What about a runner who never does a distance over 5k, are they serious? What about a runner who only goes through one pair of shoes a year, are they serious? See how this objective qualitative determination quickly deteriorates?

jesspal

I think you can consider yourself serious when you start planning your day around your rides. As opposed to planning your rides around your plans for the day.

bdcheung

you're also "serious" when you don't call yourself "wishy washy fair weather cyclist"

Ih8lucky13

Buy a Cyfac Gothica, (preferably a 52 inch). Do not ride it at all. When next winter comes and you want to be a serious skier sell me the Gothica for half off so you can buy some new ski equipment.

zzzwillzzz

you mean cm, a serious cyclist wouldn't make such a mistake

AngryScientist 

yes, this is exactly what i'm going for. of course i understand that my current bike is not limiting and it is ultimately up to me to set my numerical goals. my primary goal is to put 4K mikes on my two bikes combined by october, i think that would be a good start.

ultimately i'm just soliciting opinions of how people define what makes them a cyclist.

terrain

2nd That -

When bicycling becomes something that you wish do do instead of other things... often times I have to remind myself what pays for all of the cycling gear

Quijibo187

fixed.

BikesAreCool123

You serious when you buy that $5K dura ace carbon fiber dream machine.

AngryScientist 

i'm not looking to compare myself to anyone, or what anyone considers me either. i am interested in setting goals for myself, and look forward to the challenge of achieving whatever goals i set.

the bottom line is that i am a goal motivated person, and i will feel better about buying myself a new toy if it is a "reward" for meeting some challenging goals.

Jerseysbest

You can ride any distance on almost any decent bike out there, and yours might be just fine, but you'll probably get more enjoyment with a better equiped ride.

I don't consider myself serious right now mostly cause of running, travel, work, and other time constraints, but when I do ride, it is enjoyed a lot more with my nice bike (not [I]that/I] nice though)

kyriefurro

That is a question only you can answer for yourself .

FWIW - I was in a similar position this last February. I bought a hybrid bike last fall intending to use it for casual riding. I never planned to fall in love with the silly thing, but I did, and it wasn't long until I realized that I'd out grown it and I started planning to upgrade. I told myself that I had to wait until at least Memorial Day before I bought the new bike to prove to myself that I was really "serious" and that I was going to stick with it. I also figured it would take me that long to save up for one.

Then in February I found out I was getting a nice bonus at work - enough to pay for a sweet new road bike. I hemmed and I hawed. Was I really going to ride it or would it end up hanging on the wall? Were my legs strong enough to handle the steeper gearing? Could I really justify spending a couple of Grand on a bycicle???

For me it came down to this - the new bike would keep me motivated to continue riding and to make some much needed fitness gains. The hybrid, on the other hand, would probably not do that. In fact, since it really doesn't fit me well and leaves me in pain after 15 miles, it might actually discourage me from riding. So, I went ahead and bought the upgrade, deliberately buying a bike that was "more" than I needed right then so I could grow into it over the next few months, rather than growing out of it like I did with the hybrid.