My N + 1
 

I did the N + 1 thing a few weeks ago, here's the new arrival:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=270582

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=270583

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=270584

And here's the whole fleet:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=270585

I've bought four bikes in my lifetime. Missing here is a 1991 Trek 950 mountain bike, which I gave away last year. When I bought the Giant, it sort of pained me to buy a bike with a foreign built frame, as the first three were all US built, but the only US built production frames are the custom Trek Madones, which are way out of my price range. At least the Giant came from Taiwan and not the PRC.

On the left is a 2005 Cannondale Bad Boy. Front and center is the new girl, a Giant Defy Composite 2. On the right is my 1984 Trek 610. I'm not sure this is going to be a true N + 1, and I'll tell you why. Today, as part of my triathlon training I did a 15 mile ride and then a 4 mile run. I rode the Giant for the 15 miles, then changed shoes and hopped on the Cannondale to ride the two miles to the park where I was going to run. What a difference, it was like getting out of a Porsche and into a Jeep!

After the run, I rode back (slowly), got cleaned up and had some lunch. Then, I pulled out the Trek for a short spin around the area. I hadn't been on that one this year, as I had an IT band issue and was working on getting my run distance up for the Oly distance tri I'm about to do. I have to say that I didn't really enjoy riding the Trek, the position is wrong and I spend most of my time staring at the front wheel, and there just aren't enough gears for the hills around here. I don't think I'll be riding it much anymore, the Giant is so much nicer.

I bought that Trek new in 1984, at age 26, but oddly enough, I don't have much of an emotional attachement to it. I used to race sports cars as a hobby, and as part of that I seem to have developed kind of a cold blooded attitude towards machinery. The Cannondale is my ute bike/grocery gettery/path rider, and the Giant is the distance runner/ fun ride /tri bike. That means the Trek is just going to sit, and that seems wrong, so I may be trying to find a new home for it.

There's some discussion on the Classic and Vintage forum about whether or not today's bikes are all that much better. Well, they are, they're vastly better, and they make the cycling experience so much better. It's so nice to have all those gears at hand, and so easily available. The Giant is five pounds lighter than the Trek, which helps on hills, and much stiffer in the desired areas, so the fast descents are much more comfortable.

One last thought: Just because the rider is Classic and Vintage, doesn't mean his or her ride has to be!

Congrats on the new bike. I've been riding a long time and have gone through a lot of bikes over the years. I've never understood the C&V fetish but then I'm not a collector. I do know, as you said, bikes today are so much more efficient, comfortable, and lighter. I have no desire to ride that mid 70s Fuji or early 70s Schwinn. Now if I could have my '70s body back, I'd take it in a heartbeat. :)

That's a nice looking bike! Congratulations FormerFF and may you have miles of fun on it.

Nice bike.

Good looking bike. Now ride the crap out of it.

I know this feeling! I sold my Giant Defy 2 last month because it just wasn't getting ridden since buying the Colnago.

If the position is wrong, then it's a self-inflicted wound. ;) Change things around until it fits like the Giant. If it was the right size when you bought it, that's all that should be required. As for the gears, you can get a 38t small ring for the front, or get a compact crankset, plus you could re-do the cogset with bigger cogs.

My "best" bike is a carbon Look 585. My second-best bike, though, is a steel '87 Centurion Ironman, and it's not far behind the Look. The fit on them is as close to identical as I could get it.

That is a beautiful bike! And it sounds like you and she will make great partners...

And, I understand your feeling (or lack of) about an emotional attachment to the bike... After working in IT for so many years, tech no longer impresses me. It is simply: how does this make my life better? And, I ask that question whether it is a new computer or a washing machine.

But, conversely, each bike can have its personality and advantages: I have been riding a 1992 Cannondale drop bar road bike and recently bought a high end Trek flat bar hybrid. After putting a couple hundred miles on the hybrid I got back on the road bike and it felt like I had gone from a Jeep to a Porsche. True, road bikes have come a long, long way since 1992, but that doesn't mean that the Cannondale was not and is not a good bike.

I plan on enjoying both of them.

And, to admit it, I do have an emotional attachment to the Cannondale. I have thought about upgrading the components to get a set of gears that work for me on these hills around here as well as a nice set of shifters that I don't have to reach for. But, then the bike wouldn't be the bike it was meant to be...
... Damn emotions!
:)

Shouldn't we be all over the OP for not consulting with us prior to N+1 and not posting pictures as soon as N+1 occured. :D FormerFF, nice bikes by the way,

+1

I'll plead guilty on the charge of being slow to post pictures, I was out of town, then had a sprint triathlon, and have been busy training for an Olympic distance tri, which is this upcoming Saturday. Here's the discussion on what bike to buy: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght?highlight=

Any pictures should be from the drive side :). Anyway really nice bike, ride and enjoy.

Okay, I'll give you a pass on the discussion and consultation. But you did take the time to look and drool when you got her home didn't you? :D

Yes, but it was kind of brief. I think the fourth or fifth ride I took was a sprint distance tri. That reminds me, I owe her a cleaning, hopefully before the next tri.

Wouldn't do a tri on that bike yet- The bearings will be tight and too much newness in the bike for it to perform to its best. I am certain that you will be able to find another50+ member that will take it off you for a couple of months to break it in :innocent:

I would offer but it may not be my size.