Thanks guys for the input on the 8 speed shifters!
The bike actually seems to fit me pretty well fortunately, which is one reason why I'm comfortable putting money in it for now. I won't lie though guys, chances are sooner or later I'll end up modifying this bike beyond the point of any economic reason, even considering I got it for free. My future purchases (either a new bike or more stuff) are going to depend a lot on my future economic situation and where I'm headed after college.
I went on a high speed group ride today (pretty sure our average speed was well into the 20s). I was way out of my league. I thought I'd built up enough endurance (that and I thought the rides were only 17 miles or so) but I was very surprised. At mile 20 I practically gave out as I'd pushed myself to the point of becoming nauseous and let the group go on. I think they rode for another 15 miles, likely at full speed still.
I'm not terribly bothered though. The first time I tried this after about a week or two of riding, I only made it 4.5 miles. Today after two months of riding I made it for 20. The longest ride I've ever done was 22 miles, and it was a more relaxed group ride. Someday I'll be able to keep up. The Denali and I did a good job keeping up until somewhere between the 15-17 mile mark, and then of course at the 20 mile mark it was a complete disaster.
What surprised me the most was how I gained ground on the other riders with the Denali...it wasn't going downhill as might be initially suspected, but uphill. Not standing either, but spinning. This is probably due more to the motor than the bike. There may be a climber hidden inside me with a little more training, which is somewhat tragic because I hate the upside of hills.
Then again, maybe fast rides aren't really my thing. I really enjoy the more relaxed long distance rides.
Today's ride also pushed me into a healthy BMI for the first time in at least a year, but I think more like three. I came close last year but I'm pretty sure I was still 5 pounds over. Here's my weight chart:
The third data point is the point at which I bought the Denali, you can see the steady loss of weight after that.
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