OK, here it is:

I bought a Centurion Ironman a few months ago off eBay. This is only the second bicycle I've owned in my life, and is in fact only a year younger than I. The first bike is not worth mentioning, except for the fact that it was/is hideous and that I bought it long ago when I knew absolutely nothing about bikes; it cost me $35 and was a HUGE rip-off, seriously.

I learned how to ride a bicycle about a year ago, at the age of eighteen ...indeed, I was a very very unfortunate boy. Anyhow... looking though old bicycle books at my public library, I fell in love with the traditional steel diamond frame design. Absolutely! The bikes I most liked were from a late-eighties book on choosing a performance bicycle; Schwinn, Specialized, Univega, Nishiki, Trek, and finally... Centurion. Good thing I didn't see any Italian bikes in those books, I would surely have fainted.

So here's the problem: I have a beautiful bike made for performance, and am having a lot of trouble learning to use it. The biggest problem is not the thin wheels, as everyone who'd seen my bicycle had warned, but the damn pedals! It's very difficult to try and get my second foot in while also trying to maneuver the bike and not fall. Since I started riding, which was a few weeks ago, what I've done is tighten the strap all the way down on the left pedal—forcing the toe clip down against the platform—and ridden on the underside of it, which obviously has been frustrating. This is making it very difficult for me to learn, because I have to concentrate quite a bit to keep my foot on the pedal.

The Centurion is an '87 Dave Scott Ironman Expert, and it has the Shimano 105 groupset, with Biopace chainrings (42/52). The six-speed freewheel goes from 13 (15, 17, 19, 21) to 24. Right now, I obviously have it on 42/24. I've taken the bike out to a nearby, usually deserted, street. I ride up and down over and over, trying to get the hang of it. I'm about six feet tall, weigh approximately 215 .lbs, and the bike has a 58 cm seat tube. The bike seems to be my size, though a 57 cm would probably have been better. There is about a 1/2 inch clearance between my crotch and the top tupe (about an inch when it's cold), and I've got my seat up to where, with my heels on the undersides of the pedals, my legs are fully outstreched at the bottom of the pedal-stroke, and with my feet inside the pedals, about a 10° angle in my knees.

Jesus! Another problem is the fact that I'm riding with jeans! I learned one lesson real quick—to fold them up mid-calf on the right leg. I had one very nasty spill because of that. When I ride I notice that my flexibility is greatly affected because of them.

So should I go out and buy clipless shoes and pedals? Probably, but I can't afford it right now. Should I go out and buy a sweet jersey and some awesome shorts? Yes, but I can't afford it right now. And the most important question: Should I have bought a less responsive, less expensive, more novice-friendly bike? Probably, but I was overcome with the beautiful craftsmanship of the performance bicycles of yester-year, and I could not have accepted anything less.

Any advice? Thanks for listening!

Attentively,

Sebastián Peña