Originally Posted by
mahlers2nd
Well I bought the bike... It is wonderful. It shifts so smooth and so easy to find the gears... I'm so used to my Target special that would take 5 minutes of grinding away before it figured out which gear to settle in.
It fits well... although the seat post could be a *smidge* higher... Is that something I can change to get a taller seat post? I don't need much but as it is right now, I'm concerned it is a little to close to the end of the seat post. I'll also probably swap out the pedals as well -- these have the kind of pedals where you stick your shoe in a cup, if that makes sense. Right now, I want the ability to have my feet "free".
It works soooooo much better than that POS raleigh I tried last week. So much smoother. It also feels very solid -- though the seat may be a bit wide for my comfort (though I was trying it out in jeans so not optimal riding clothes).
So now I just have to figure out good training programs to help me get going. Can anyone point me to a good thread or website for that?
I was so excited that I took it out for a ride in the parking lot once I got back to my office. It was even better then than when I was "test driving" it. The woman that sold it was very nice. said she was glad that it was going to go to someone who could appreciate it and enjoy it.
I feel like I did the year I got my first five-speed for Christmas. I lived in Chicago so it was several weeks/months before I could actually take it outside so I just sat on it in the hall way of our house "pretending".
Thanks again everyone... y'all ROCK ... and ROLL!
At Cola -- maybe I'll see you out one a group ride soon... If you see some middle-aged chick on a Suteki, you'll know it's me!
Happy New Bike Day!
And you have to take pictures of it, or it didn't happen.
Right now, don't worry about a structured training program. Just find a loop in your neighborhood (or close to it) that's about a mile or two in distance. Ride that. If you still feel like you have a lot of energy, do it again. But I wouldn't do rides longer than about 5 miles for the first few times you ride. This will let you get to know the bike, and how your body feels on the bike. And how your body feels the next day after riding the bike. If you go too far, the first couple of times, then it may take you a few days to recover, where you can do more smaller trips that ends up being more miles, if you keep the first several trips short. Up your distance between 10%-25% after every few rides. After a while, it may only be upping 10% additional per week. Take 1-2 days a week off the bike to rest and recover. Otherwise your body might complain that you're doing too much to soon. And, other than those 1-2 days a week, if you don't feel like biking too much, still try to put in a few miles, even if it half as much (or less) than you normally do.
I also recommend taking the bike to a LBS, and having them check it out to make sure that there is nothing wrong that either of you missed.
When you get home, take a look at the
Neuse River Trail. It might be a good place to go on the weekend to get some miles in. It looks like one of the higher rated bike shops in your area, may be near the trail. So you can do two things with one trip.
And don't forget to get Strava on your smartphone and join the Clyde/Athena group (Check the stickies at the top of the forum). That way you can keep track of your rides, and it does give a little incentive to ride, even on days that you may not feel like it.
And it would be cool to see you on a vintage Suteki. On the last PB group ride, someone was riding a vintage Pinarello with downtube shifters.
GH