Fairmont

I haven't been this excited over a bike since......well.....since......I WAS A KID!!!

Anyway, I have a four-mile ride each way to work with some hills (one small, one moderate, and one beast).

So, I sold my trek 7100 (a great bike, but a bit slow) and bought a 2008 Trek Soho 1.0. and an Incite 8i bike computer (mostly for the odometer).

I'm going to go for a short ride in a few minutes, but thought I'd share a few things.

First, the stats: I'm 39, six feet tall, and a hefty 206.5 pounds. That's going to change. I'm going to log my daily rides and weight and keep anyone updated who is interested.

So, here are the pics:

Trek Soho 1.0 (20 inch frame)
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Wireless computer
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Now the not so great:
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envane

dope.

but 6 months from now you'll crave teh drops.

homebody146

nice looking ride! Congrats and enjoy the feeling. ;-)

77midget

booyah! That's a nice looking ride you got there. I am on the same track, though I am still on my trusty converted MTB for a commuter.

Its always nice to hear others out there making the same changes that I am trying-it is reinforcing.

keep us posted!

daredevil

Nice!

Get some bar ends for that 'beast' of a hill.

I went from 210 to 175 and I'm only 5' 10" so you got it easy.

What do you have to get to? 185 or so?

btw, I used fitday.com. Somebody else has a thread going on that right now.

d2create

Pretty slick!
Good luck with it!

I wonder why they split the stem like that at the bars?

77midget

+1 on the fitday.com plug. I use it to log all of my meals, snacks, etc, even the cheats. It is working well, and I am down 15lbs so far, 250 to 235.

DeusExa

beautiful bike!!!!

Fairmont

Did someone sneak out last night and shrink the hills in my town?

Or did I get a BETTER BIKE!


I only rode it ten minutes today (to learn the gears--never had rapid fire before) and to play with the computer.

I took the first hill that is right outside my neighborhood, and DANG! It boogies right up that hill. Unreal! I can't believe how much more efficient it is. Has to be the tires mostly. My old bike (the 7100) had larger wheels with quite a bit of tread and a low psi, so it really bogged. Of course, I didn't realize how much it bogged until I rode the hill this evening on my new Soho.

I used far less energy getting up that hill. When I got to the top I wasn't wiped. Usually when I get to the top of it I am so winded and in pain (legs) that I have to stay in the lowest gear and just go slow over the flats for a few minutes, losing precious time.

Tonight when I reached the top of the hill I was ready to stand up and crank. I'm thrilled.

Tomorrow I'll ride to work and back and time it.

This is so much fun. Just like being a kid again. And it didn't even really cost me anything. I had my old Trek 7100 that I sold for 250 bucks to a really nice guy in North Atlanta (he got a good deal), and I have a collection of surfboards that never leave the guestroom (since I moved away from California almost four years ago). So I sold a couple surfboards (he got a great deal too) for five hundred bucks.

So after selling stuff around the house I had 750 dollars. The bike was 699 out the door, and the computer and new air pump cost a combined 70 dollars, so I basically got the whole thing for 20 bucks on the credit card.

Man, I'm jazzed. Can you tell?

beachedfixies

It's so you can mount things almost centrally and allow for some protection of your devices with the "cage" that is created out of this separation.

Fairmont

If you take a look at the first picture again you'll notice the computer is mounted in that split.

I got to 28.7 mph on the downhill outside my neighborhood. That's a little intimidating, especially considering I have an even bigger hill I come down on the way home from work.

I feel like a kid in a candy store.

powerband

Good stuff. I did the same recently and dropped the initial weight without changing my diet. However, I started using www.fitday.com and dropped more weight and felt even better.

Good luck and post your tracking...

Fairmont

That would be great, but another five beyond that would be even better. I'd love to be a fit 180. I like a little thickness. I need to work those flabby arms and build up some biceps and firm up the triceps, maybe do some high reps of low weight in the chest to kill the manboobs.

kwrides

Congratulations! I can feel your enthusiasm through your words.

Enjoy it.

DarkCommuter

I have a Soho 3.0 and the bar is exactly the same. How do bar ends help for 'beast' hills?

ggosson

That is a real nice looking bike you have there.

mccook

I love mine (25"). Enjoy

mmills

Congrats! Beautiful bike!

nahh

great bike!
don't forget the lock! my bike is grey as well (it looks really slick,btw) but look into getting something reflective so you're more visible. my seat bag and messenger bag both have reflective stuff on it, and i have a rear blinkie.

happy riding!

daredevil

Gives you some leverage when you stand. That's my favorite riding position.

striker_dj

I felt the same way when I first switched from my old mountain bike. Keep riding and the extra weight will disappear before you know it! I lost over 25 pounds and weight loss had nothing to do with my reasons for riding.

Glad you are liking the new bike, it is nice!

Fairmont

The bike is dark, yes, but it's VERY reflective. When it's hit with bright light it practically glows. It's meant for commuting. It will be hardest to see in the daytime for sure, but not at night. Light radiates off it.

Also, it is MUCH easier to pump than my Trek 7100 was. It's a lot more nimble and controllable. Looser I guess you'd say, in a sense. It's just a much more efficient riding position than the 7000 series.

Don't get me wrong. The 7000 series is excellent, and it has its purpose, but major hill climbing isn't one of them. If I had to ride ten miles through grass, light dirt roads, rough pavement, etc., the 7000 series would kick the Soho's butt, easily, and would get you there in comfort. I can't deny the pure comfort of the 7000 series.

But for getting to work and back and for flattening hills, this Soho is going to be much better.

But, granted, someone on a good road bike would still blow it away.

I'd call it a 2/3 hybrid. 2/3 road bike and 1/3 comfort/cruiser/mountain--whatever.

The 7000 series is half and half which makes it slower than the Soho, but much more comfortable. The 7000 series is designed for folks who plan to put a lot of weight back. That's why it's so comfortable (seatpost suspension and front fork suspension), but it makes hill climbing a real chore when your body can't position properly for climbing.

quietpopcorn

I was sooo close to buying that bike when I got my Gary Fisher the other day. It's an awesome looking bike.

AdrianFly

Very nice bike... but I have a problem with it.

It's brand friggin new. Put a few hundred miles on it already would ya?


Ride, ride ride. Wear it in... get the bike to look like it's a workin bike. Get it some character!

Fairmont

All in good time. I'll he riding to work and back everyday (starting a week from today) and will be trying to improve my time to my workplace and back each day this week.