Well, after my last post this was inevitable. I have a shiny new road bike. I’m not allowed the shiny Lycra pants to go with it, though. That seems to be a Very Strict Rule.
Since we moved to The Best House Ever, I’ve had access to some fantastic paved routes. These are populated by a selection of riders, many of whom happen to be faster than I am. Clearly this cannot be due to any physical weakness on my part, so it has to be down to equipment. That’s logic, right there. And while I may have chortled at the Fluorescent Spandex Set on occasion, that has always been a matter of aesthetics – not of engineering.
Here’s how it went:
<Me on Phone> Can you service my mountain bike? It only needs some new brake pads and maybe a new chain. Nothing much wrong with it.
<Local Bike Shop (LBS)>We can do it tomorrow! Bring it over.
(Ten Minutes Later)
<LBS Dude> (Viewing mud-caked oil-encrusted hard-used bike) That’s a new chain, new cassette, maybe a new chainring, complete strip-down and rebuild. We can do it next week. And we’re not touching it until you’ve cleaned it. Properly.
<Me> You said you could do it tomorrow.
<LBS Dude> And you said there was nothing much wrong with it.
Well, he did have a point. I’ve done about 2,000kms on trails since the last service.
While we were there, we asked about road bikes. Admired their featherlight engineering. Drooled, to no little extent.
<Me> (Having actually done a remarkable amount of research) Tell me about this one.
<LBS Dude> {technical bike description too tedious to relate}
<Me>Drool.
<Incredibly Astute Wife>{Points at another bike}Why is that one $700 cheaper?
<LBS Dude>{stunned look} I’ll go and find out.
<LBS Dude>{returned from consultation with shop owner} It’s because the frame is so small we’ll never find anyone to buy it.
<Me>And here’s me with my short little legs.
And that is how I acquired a 2012 Giant Defy Composite 3 for a 50% discount.
It’s all downhill from here