I did a bad thing

SteppenHerring

So, I got back into riding my old 531 road bike and was enjoying it. But it's old fashioned - downtube shifters, 13-23 7 speed cassette etc. So I went round a few bikeshops today and the most helpful were Pearson's in Sutton. Some shops were "nothing in until the 2010 bikes' and some were 'sorry - no test rides'. Pearson's said "bring your shoes and pedals and take it out for as long as you like".

So I ended up bringing home a shiny new Pearson Pavé with Ultegra.

My wife must never ever know how much it cost.

silvermetalfox

That is naughty, but you will have to own up - mine always has a way of finding things out. For this reason I had to tell her outright how much my Cannondale Synapse Carbon has just cost me. I am already having the payback - the credit card is almost molten with the use its been having since, and clothes etc seem to arrive at the house each day.

It is always nice to find a helpful place, so play on this when you tell her; it would have been rude for you not to buy one after they were so nice to you!

pompeypoppy

Don't feel bad and buy her any gifts. They know exactly why you're buying them! :shock:

Tora75

Just say you were feeling depressed and bought yourself a new bike to cheer yourself!Shopping Therapy .Tora

cougie

What colour is it ? If its the same colour as the old one - a non cycling wife cannot tell the difference.

Do you know what hairdryer your wife has ? I couldnt pick it out of a lineup.

SteppenHerring

What colour is it ? If its the same colour as the old one - a non cycling wife cannot tell the difference.

The old one was purple. The new one is the colour of carbon fibre. Shiny, lovely carbon fibre.

Just say you were feeling depressed and bought yourself a new bike to cheer yourself!Shopping Therapy Wink .Tora

It did cheer me up. I realised on the compact gearing, I had pretty much the same range as I had on the old-fashioned race gearing, just using the big ring. And boy does it want to go up the hills ...

Rockhopper

I know someone who bought a Ducati 996 and put the fairing panels off his old 748 onto it so his wife wouldn't find out.

dg74

Rockhopper wrote:

I know someone who bought a Ducati 996 and put the fairing panels off his old 748 onto it so his wife wouldn't find out.

Excellent

Woodchip

Repeat after me... "I did a good thing by boosting the economy. I am a hero to the masses by spending money. The world loves me. I have helped save someones job. I did a good thing."

Oh, you might want to add on the end of that "Sorry my dear lovely wife, but you wouldn't want me fat and lazy would you."

chuckcork

Having recently taken an old steel bike with 1 downtube lever, 1 brake lever, no rear gears, no tyres, quill stem too long for me, and rebuilt into a Tiagra spec machine, can I suggest that your option was probably more expensive, but in terms of time probably a lot cheaper?

Time you can spend with the family :?

cyclingmev

Ahhh, just think bollox to it...i'd be delighted if my boyfriend came home with a funky new and very expensive bike, cos i'd nick it....MINE!!! Just tell your wife to go and do something more interesting instead like baking, knitting and ironing...

andy162

Hi

I simply have all my bits delivered to work....Sram Force groupset, Kysrium SL's, Sram Red 53/39 chainset....

Ignorance is bliss!

My bike is black, has 2 wheels....that's all my beloved knows( or probably cares about).

Anyway I dont spend a small fortune on haircuts/colours at posh salons....& have you seen how much GHD hair straighteners cost!

If you think hard & for long enough you can justify (almost) anything.

Keep spending/keep quiet...that's my motto!

Andy.

Legshaver

I also updated my trusty old 531 Raliegh recently. The parts were difficult to get, being a 7 speed machine with Ultegra groupset. I did manage to fit some nice STi shifters, and although they were expensive, they transformed the way I ride, and I still love it.

But as someone has already said, it's not really worth updating old machines. You could get a reasonable alloy bike for the price you have to pay for new kit. So when one of my cycling buddies said that he was going to get a new carbon framed Trek or Cannondale, I went with him to see what he was looking for. Well, that was a fatal mistake, of course!

Explaining to my wife about the new Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 that I have just purchased has been slightly tricky. Thankfully, I've played an ace card - I'm 65 this week and recieve my first state pension payment any day now so there's no problem paying for such a lovely bike.

Stone Glider

She will know. They always know! They just take their time before they let you know that they KNOW.

May I suggest a quiet meal, your treat, plus a gentle exposition of how much you love them and how important they are in your life.... also how much cycling means to you, as a way of demonstrating your commitment to your relationship,,,,,, it doesn't have to make sense if you made enough effort with the meal/drink.

The wisdom of women is a perfect balance to the foolishness of men. So go with the flow

fatgit

I used to have it down to a tee it worked like this:

1. I spend too much on something
2. GF finds out
3. GF drops a hint that she knows how much I spent
4. I drop something into the converstaion about how much her horse costs
5. all is forgotten

I now have it even easier in that I only have to justify it to myself

SteppenHerring

I think she guesses. But she's being very cool about the whole thing. For instance, I moaned today that I couldn't get a second pair of pedals that would fit my existing shoes/cleats so I could use both road bikes (wont commute on the carbon). She said "why don't you buy some new shoes and pedals?".

Well you don't need to hear that twice. I couldn't bring myself to buy the Ultegra pedals though so I went for the 105s. And now I feel bad because everything else is Ultegra. Shoes match the frame colour though.

oxford

Ha ha, this is a funny story!

Like you I just do it and suffer later, earbashing then its usally forgotten...

lfcquin

Odd, but my missus actively encourages bike spending :shock:

Two years back it was a fixed wheel Genesis and a Charge Duster MTB, last year it was a Sabbath Mondays Child and a Kinesis Crosslight. A couple of months back she said it was about time I bought another one, 'cos I hadn't bought a new bike for at least 6 months!

Now I am toying with getting some decent race wheels and have been eagerly eyeing up the Hed Ardennes. She has told me to just get them, but I just can't bring myself to spend £600 on wheels. Maybe it's this reverse psychology thing and I haven't caught on yet.... :?

oxford

Perhaps she has something dark to hide.....

LittleB0b

Stone Glider wrote:

She will know. They always know!

We do always know - but we also like to see you happy

(i'd only be miffed if the £xxxx nu-bike then sat in the hall unused - cos that *would* be a waste)

gbs

Steppen, were we not together a few Saturdays ago with Berns on the RPCC ride?. You bought the same bike so you must have been impressed with my ascents! Enjoy, and we will compare notes on another Saturday perhaps - but not for several weeks.

SteppenHerring

gbs: Yes. I liked the look of yours very much, then I found out Pearsons were only a few miles away. I went to look. They said "fetch your pedals and shoes and you can try one". So I did. And then one thing led to another.

I will join in another Saturday ride, but I am tied up for the next few weeks with holidays, visiting relatives and a Sportive. I need to get faster up the hills.

BE1

Could have been worse.....you could have come home with one of these beauties

http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/product/ ... _RACE_2009