Getting weak.....
 

Alright...short story.
Heavy(273)...but used to be fit(college wrestling, running), 2 weeks away from 40. Six years ago I got serious and did the 12 week Bill Phillips plan and dropped to 198...today...I'm a long way from that.

OK..now the bikes. MY love for BMX and Vintage BMX led me to LBS, that got me looking at the new "greatest thing"...hybrid bikes. I was told of their versatility and efficiency and scoffed when people on BF suggested that a person is better advised to skip over a hybrid and get a road bike.....in the end it's what you'll want/need anyway. So I bought a Trek 7.3 FX and figured I'd bought plenty of bike for myself. Alright, now we know my listening skills are weak, and my rationalizing skills are proving to be very strong.
Basically, I've become consumed with all aspects of road biking. I read all the monthly and bi-monthlies I can get. I tune in Sundays to VS. and seek out any programming I can find. Therein lies the problem, I've convinced myself that I NEED to get a high dollar road bike now. They make them so alluring. I know at some point we all want new, shiny things, it's just that I can't believe how quickly I came to this point. I know, it's overlooked, but I am riding the Trek and enjoying myself doing it...but motivate myself by thinking that a new road bike would fulfill my needs SO much more.

So...here's the situation. Given a 1500 dollar budget an a rational mind, the smart bet is
1) keep the Trek, ride it into the ground until the snow flies. Keep the idea of a new new bike as incentive by using a portion(500) of the money to buy good clipless pedals and shoes that can move over to a carbon beauty in the spring. Use a portion(500) on a gym membership to allow me to train(run, spin) on off weather days and in the Indiana winter. And save the remainder for the first pile of dough I'll need for my new "investment" in the spring.
OR
2) unload the Trek for next to nothing and throw common sense out the window to buy an unnecessary "carbonesque" bike now knowing it's an impulse purchase and isn't built for my "physique". Of course I'd be outta luck this winter(there's always rollers) but the urge would be suppressed.

I know the answer, but sometimes you physically have to see it and say it to recognize the truth.

Thank you all you Clydes for your time to read my nonsense and even more for your stories of motivation. I look forward to seeing your progress and one day sharing mine. Hope to see the Indiana Clydes out for the RAIN ride in a couple weeks, I'll be rooting you on.

dk

I too look at the road bikes and wonder. I broke down and road one about 10 miles the other day. I don't like the lean forward angle at all. I'm sticking with my 7.5 fx.

dustyone, I won't help here because I am completely irrational when it comes to buying stuff. I do weeks and weeks of research finding the best bargin I can, then once I've decided what I want I'll willingly pay double to have it now than wait until tomorrow.
So I'm veering towards buying the road bike now, this afternoon if possible, post pictures of it this evening. Instead of joining a gym buy a trainer, which you can sit your new road bike on.

So in summary, buy buy buy.
Sorry I am not helping.

Seriously though, why not go down to the bike shop and see if you like the style. I'm a bit of the opinion, if you want it and you can afford it, then buy it. Who knows where you'll be in spring, life's too short to keep postponing fun stuff.

...by the way, I'm currently struggling with a urgent need for an SLR digital camera. I didn't need one until I saw one yesterday, I've been very happy with my little digital camera but at the moment I can't see how I'll survive the week if I don't buy one.

HAHAHA steve2K, I thought I was the only one like this out there. I've got such a bad habit of SPEND SPEND SPEND, when I took on this Hobby last November I thought it would be a low cost sport. HAHAHA

Dusty, I too purchased a 7.5FX about 2 or 3 months ago upgrading to a "faster" bike than what I was currently riding. I used to love BMX when I was younger but hit a growth spert that put me over 6' which kind of squashed that back then. I chose the hybrid 7.5 as I wasn't sure whether I was ready for the lean forward fast ride of a road bike long story short, less than 1.5 months later I came home with a shiny new Carbon Roubaix. I like to blame it on the forums and my addiction of new stuff. Like Steve I'm not going to be much help to you as I'm so impulsive but I can say don't sell the Trek even if you do decide to do the road bike thing. I've found that the road bike is my weekend long ride mileage bike, but the 7.5 is still great for my daily commuting and recovery rides with the family. They both serve two totally different things in my biking life and I couldn't be without either. The Roubaix to me isn't fun for short rides, but when I get on it I just want to keep going. Whereas when I was trying to put mileage on there was no way I was going to get more than about 30 miles comfortably on the 7.5.

Jason

Something to think about.

Keep the 7.5,
Then find a classic steel road bike to play with, they ride great and can be had for next to nothing.
A $1000+ steel bike 20 years ago can often be had for $150 now.

A lot of help you guys are!!! I agree with both of you. I live by the motto.."Expectation is greater than realization" and in most cases it holds true. I know the "right" thing to do. But seriously, at 270+ I have no real business on a carbon road bike, I know that. Now....a couple months in the gym on the treadmill...some hardcore long weekend rides and it might make more sense.
I know that I'm irrational and impulsive, and to counter that have started MAKING myself achieve set goals before I can reward myself. The truly funny thing is....the ride is only part of what I dig about biking. I love the culture. I never paid that much attention to the number of cyclists on the roads around me. Every time I see a speck up ahead while driving, it's a quest to see the details...brand of bike, gear, etc. I love the stories of pain(and the experience as well), I love the idea of being in the middle of nowhere on a 2 lane county road with only my resolve to bring me home. I love the idea of the transformation that is happening. I've been refusing my wife's demands for fitness, but have slowly gravitated towards voluntary workouts and eating habits because it helps my riding.
I'm not a shallow person and don't get off on announcing my name brand lifestyle. But, I come from a strong racing background and I've learned to love "cool" things...the graphite, aluminum, racy looks that road bikes present. From time to time I need a reality check, and really thought I'd get a rougher response pointing out my "lack of substance" approach. :) I appreciate the similar thoughts and look forward to indulging one day....if I can hold out. Maybe I need to let someone hold my bank account...just not either one of you guys! LOL

For the record..I purchased a Nikon D-40 last fall and love it. It works in nicely with my 3 year old son.

I say go for the camera!!!....and a 80-200 vibration dampening lens and at least 2 spare lenses....and you've got to get a Norman flash.....now we're even.
dk

Wow, did I ever find myself in this thread. In the past year or two, I have had both the dustyone and steve2k problems. Here's how I solved them:

I would keep the trek and accessorize! Get those good clipless pedals and shoes you have been dreaming about. Personally I would not want to ride on anything less than 28 wide tires. Here in Western NY the winters are harsh and though they have been doing a much better job of maintaining the roads in the last decade, there are still plenty of pot holes out there. I am not huge, but at around 215 Lbs I am no feather weight either. With a slightly sturdier bike you know you won't detroy that $150 the first time you go for a ride because there was road imperfection you could not avoid...

Happy riding,
André

EXACTLY!

I was starting to think I had a problem..now I know there's other like me. The guy at the bike shop looked away when I asked him "Is half of this cycling hobby to satisfy the spending urge?" He told me that if I were to cycle AND golf there would be no hope(for the checkbook).
Now, I will add this...in addition to my previous options I was thinking of making it well known to the local(midwest) crowd that I would entertain the thought of purchasing a slightly used road bike this fall from one of those like me who was heading from $1500 land to $3500+ land to satisfy their upgrade urge. I would have to think that somebody who felt like me and purchased a nice Carbon/Aluminum blend previously would be browsing the LOOK/PINARELLO/SCOTT websites trying to justify THAT.

eriksbliss...maybe I should introduce you to my R/C racing "habit" that takes me to places like Orlando in February...certainly can spend sufficiently on carbon and aluminum on that as well...or my Disney habit that is "for my boy"....sure it is.

dk

I'd say if you have enough room for two bikes at home don't sell the Trek. It would make a fine commuting/around town/winter beater bike, and you won't get good resale value out of it anyway.

In the meantime, keep saving and scour Craigslist for used deals. You could get a couple year old CF bike for well under $1k in great condition.

That's my suggestion.

Scott

I really don't see a reason to dump the Trek - keep it riding and when it's all nasty outside that you don't want to ruin your precious CF bike beat the hell out of it and enjoy it :) I have a heavy mtb that when the weather gets nasty I love attacking the streets on though find it's so heavy now compared to the road bike I ride.

Oh hell don't let the weight be the issue. :p I bought my Roubaix because I got down to 270... Seriously that was my current weight when I said what the hey...

And in other news, I did purchase my first Canon Digital SLR early last year (Rebel XT) so now I just buy additional toys for that. And I'm really big into Ford Mustangs and playing with them so you should see my account balance at the end of the month....

Jason

My first question was...Have you ridden a road bike yet? I think that might go a long way to deciding if you want one. I have a few times. In fact, I have an old Schwinn something or other in the garage (probably 20 years old but still in good shape). I couldjn't get used to riding it when I have on the line between Clyde and non-Clyde. I don't think i would be any more comfortable on it now.

It is a matter of what you like/want though. Some people love them and a lot of people move to them eventually. I just don't think they will ever be for me.

Now on the other hand, I bought a Nikon D50 about 6 months ago after much yearning and agonizing and you;d have to pry that baby from my cold, dead hands. ;)

That is exactly the quandry I find my self in. I cycle and golf. I do not have enough time or money for either.:D

What model is that Bianchi
 

Ertiksbliss That is one sweet looking ride, what the heck is it?

Hey dustyone, I'd say ride a road bike for a while before you commit to buy. The positioning is so different to a hybrid and can feel awful awkward. I'm about 225lbs now and feel uncomfortable on a road bike, mainly I think due to my size and lack of proper core strength. I get the impression from people that I look out of place too. Give yourself a goal say by next summer to lose an amount of weight using the trek and then buy yourself a road bike. I'd also agree with redneckwes about getting a secondhand bike for cheap. Or buy a new road frame and build it yourself piece by piece over the year and then when the summer comes next year...

Hope it works out, I know first hand the stress of thiese situations. Its good to know others have the same problem. I'm stressing about getting a gorgeous scandium mtb frame at the minute. Can't really afford it but probably will have to. There must be a psychological term for it. Some sort of OCD maybe? It also happened me with a camera. Went for Olympus 8080. Class.

Am I the only person in the world without a digital SLR camera?

I've had my current bike, a ridgeback velocity (not sure of style, maybe hybrid? picture here), for about 3 months/450 miles and quite fancy a road bike now. I did a couple of charity rides in the last couple of months an easy 32 mile and a tough 69 mile ride. The easy ride was families on mountainbikes, the tough one was mostly road bikes or tourers. The mountainbikers struggled up the easy hill, the road bikes flew up the tough hills. I want to be in the second group (but I'm closer to the first group).
I think a road bike will help propel me into the second group.

However, because I'm not convinced of this I've decided to find a second hand steel road bike because it's cheaper. If I really get on with it then maybe I'll buy a better road bike later on.

Unfortunately, now I've decided I want a steel bike I'll probably buy a piece of junk for £300 instead of just buying a new aluminium roadbike for £350.

You win. Your patience and reasoning skills are sickening. LOL Really that is the best plan.
I've often thought about the comfort/discomfort factor of a road bike...but to be quite honest, after riding nothing for the last 10 years, and only BMX prior to that, the hybrid isn't exactly a love seat to me. I am somewhat worried that if I stay on a hybrid for too long that I may develop bad habits in my riding position and never feel at home on a roadie...relaxed geometry or not. (Those that are following along can see this is another bit of self-persuasiveness that I'm using to buy NOW). In all reality, I'm doing the better thing...I'm dropping a significant amount of road bike money on a gym membership and the clipless setup this weekend to avoid purchasing irrationally. I know...the other compulsive types like myself will groan in disappointment but it will be all better in the end. My only problem is that I will have to enter the bike shop to make this purchase and force myself to walk blindly by those carbon temptresses, and avoid the allure. Maybe I'll just take one out for a little test ride...nothing big ya know...just to prove how wrong they are for me......
stay tuned.

dk

After saying all that, you only live once and if the road bike gives you just a little bit of happiness, then why not go for it. If you think you will go out more often on the road bike then I would say go for it. Best for you in the long run. I'd hate to see it lying there unused making you feel guilty though. I have to say though if you go for the pedals and gym option, the lure of the carbon frame won't go away. It never does for me, I have been lusting after this frame for over 2 years now. Sensible is not always right. Hope you're not too confused. - ed Let us know what decisions you make.

UPDATE!!
I paid my membership to the gym..psyched myself up for a treadmill experience and was amazed at the new addition that I saw......a new area with (I think) 20 LeMond spin bikes! There was one cat really gettin' it, so I ran until he was done and asked a few questions. Turns out he's a roadie but more importantly one of the spin class instructors that gave me the lowdown on the whole deal. Now I can supplement my weight loss runs with spin classes which will also allow me to get more accustomed to a road bike posture...killing 2 birds with one stone! See....I knew all along it was best to wait. ;)

In all honesty I'm pretty pumped about the whole deal. I mean, a year ago I would have just lumbered by and thought "huh, 20 yellow stationary bikes". Now I see an opportunity to get used to clipless pedals, winter "seat time", different hand positions, and most of all develop relationships with other local cyclists at all different levels of fitness. What a great way to make sure rainy days or late work nights don't kill my riding efforts.

That's all....

dk

damn your sensibleness breadbin, you've talked him out of it.

Can you now apply your logic to why I shouldn't buy a camera?

I don't see the logic of spending money on joining a gym if you can buy a bike and get out on the street. Which reminds me, I should really cancel my gym membership as I've only used it 3 times this year to go swimming with my son. Works out at about £100 per swim.

oh, hang on, I've just read your update. Now I see the logic of joining a gym, especially if it allows you to meet other like-minded biking folk. Good for you Dusty, it sounds like you're really excited, happy and motivated which is really what it should be about.

Well, I'm going a slightly different route. I have an old steel frame/steel fork Ross 10-speed that I've been riding. I also have a TREK 820 mountain bike that I got, basically, for free through an airline frequent flyer program.

After riding both, I decided that I liked the old Ross better - I like the drop bars, I like the friction shifters, I like the skinny high-pressure tires, and I like the crisp feel of bike sans any sort of suspension. The only thing I don't like about it is that the lowest gear isn't anywhere close to low enough for me.

I decided to buy a new road bike with a triple crank for a really low low gear. All of them that I looked at were aluminum frame/carbon-fiber fork. I really agonized over this, as I'm an engineer and really don't like the characteristics - mainly the lack of durability (read as ability to shrug off rough treatment) and consequent catastrophic failure mode of carbon-fiber, and to some extent aluminum. I even thought about aluminum frame with aluminum fork, but was advised against this due to the harshness of the ride. You see, steel just soaks up the rough stuff - that's why the springs in your car are made of steel, after all.

I thought about a steel frame/steel fork bike like my old Ross, but figured it would be too heavy. Then I looked up some specs and did some arithmetic. What I found surprised me - there's really not much difference. Less than three pounds between a "typical" aluminum/carbon-fiber frame/fork combo and one made of steel.

I ended up ordering a Surly Long Haul Trucker.

dustyone - I was in your shoes this spring. Rode Trek 7500 last year , sold it and upgraded to road bike ( cyclocross, actually - Giant TCX) back in May.
Result - I can ride longer and faster.
I wanted longer weekend rides : 4-5 hours / 50 - 70 miles. Max I could do on hybrid was 30-35.
Faster is less important to me , but when you ride with group or friends it is better if you can keep up with faster team.

And one more thing - I also have mountain bike I use every other weekend to ride some singletracks around Chicago. Nothing fancy - Trek 4300.
Having 2 bikes works perfect for me.

My advise - unless you want longer rides - do not bother with road, hybrid is just fine for fitness purposes. If you want more adrenalin rush - go mountain!