Out with the new, in with the old
bompington
Posts: 7,674
When I got my hands on a shiny new Team Carbon in the summer - my first new road bike - it was interesting (not to mention delightful) to experience the difference - chiefly the feeling of light weight, efficient power, and of course modern shifters.
Subjectively it felt heaps faster, my recorded times didn't really seem to bear that out, but I'm usually letting it slide a bit through the summer after a bit of a burst in the early months of the year to prepare for the Etape C, the only event I train for.
It was always my intention to keep the Rusty Raleigh for winter use, a Bristolian toerag helped that decision by helping themselves to my bike a couple of weeks ago, so yesterday and today I was commuting on the old bike again.
It's like a lead-filled pudding (of course maybe so am I)!
But it's only 2 months since I got the new one.
Quite apart from nearly falling off several times when trying to change gear, I seemed to be pedalling through treacle on everything that was even slightly uphill. At least the heavier weight and longer gears (double as opposed to compact) kept the advantage on downhills. But overall my journey times were down by a good ten minutes or so.
Plus, of course, the joys of cycling in the dark; got away at 4:40 yesterday and it was already pretty much dark. At least I was suitably impressed with the new light (SSC P7 from dealextreme, 900 lumens, £50: basically floods the whole road as brightly as my old light lit up a tiny spot, and the Blackburn mars 4 rear is certainly seriously visible)
Does anyone else find the change between bikes a bit weird?
Subjectively it felt heaps faster, my recorded times didn't really seem to bear that out, but I'm usually letting it slide a bit through the summer after a bit of a burst in the early months of the year to prepare for the Etape C, the only event I train for.
It was always my intention to keep the Rusty Raleigh for winter use, a Bristolian toerag helped that decision by helping themselves to my bike a couple of weeks ago, so yesterday and today I was commuting on the old bike again.
It's like a lead-filled pudding (of course maybe so am I)!
But it's only 2 months since I got the new one.
Quite apart from nearly falling off several times when trying to change gear, I seemed to be pedalling through treacle on everything that was even slightly uphill. At least the heavier weight and longer gears (double as opposed to compact) kept the advantage on downhills. But overall my journey times were down by a good ten minutes or so.
Plus, of course, the joys of cycling in the dark; got away at 4:40 yesterday and it was already pretty much dark. At least I was suitably impressed with the new light (SSC P7 from dealextreme, 900 lumens, £50: basically floods the whole road as brightly as my old light lit up a tiny spot, and the Blackburn mars 4 rear is certainly seriously visible)
Does anyone else find the change between bikes a bit weird?
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Comments
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I hope you have many happy miles on your bike but there's a saying...
"Light and fast ain't bult to last"0 -
Yes, I remember digging the steel bike out of the garage after my first summer on carbon. I needed luggage carrying capacity so thought I'd hop on the old faithful.
What a weird experience! It was as though I could actually feel the frame flexing and my energy being dissipated through it and the wide tyres.
This year, I have ridden both bikes about the same amount, so the Winter Bike will be less of a shock.
Sorry to hear about your loss. What a bummer.0 -
This reminds me of the question posed on a recent thread about cost/mile of cycling - the Boardman covered something like 400 miles, so that's £2.50 per mile.
The old raleigh, based just on purchase costs, is now under 1.5p/mile0
