excited to get riding!

msawyer110

Hello everybody. After riding mountain bikes for years, and living in a biker friendly area I had been contemplating getting a road bike for some time. After riding several bikes at the LBS I felt most comfortable on the Specialized Tarmac. With the great deals they have in my area right now I figured what better time. They got in a Tarmac sport mid compact 54cm so I'm gonna put a deposit down and pick it up in 2 weeks. A lot of the extras that I need are 20% off, I get a free helmet and I still have lights from my mtb. I decided on the 105 pedals, and the bike has 105 components all around, except brakes. Can't wait till the 21st when I go pick it up. I took off work that Fri and Sat lol. Hope I made a good choice. I'm 5'10" with a 32" inseam and it feels great, so let the countdown begin. I will let you guys know how I do!Thanks,Mike

nolight

Ya road bikes are exciting and nice to look at too! I need to get myself 105 pedals too. 105 components are awesome.

elderone

congrats on the new bike and welcome to the forum aswel.keep us updated and be prepared to get the bug.

djm501

I've had a 105 equipped road bike for a month now. Swap excited for addicted and you get the picture... Enjoy

philbar72

Good choice of bike and bits!

Defyand

As a recent (ish) convert I know that you will love it!

FlacVest

Tip for 105 pedals: decide on which foot you want to stay clipped in during your entire ride. Personally, I decided to keep my left foot clipped, which means it clips in first when I get on the bike, and stays clipped until I'm walking.

By only unclipping 1 foot, you remove the aspect of "thinking", similar to driving with 1 pedal. After a week or 2 it's near second nature.

Also, practice clipping and unclipping with the one foot; they're weighted at the back, so you have to slide your foot over, and into the pedal. I find it easiest to slide in at 3 and then clip in at 5/6 o'clock. It takes practice, and you'll miss it crossing streets; by keeping that one foot clipped though, you can keep yourself moving and also move the pedal around allowing quicker clipping in.

I also kept the tension at it's lightest, and haven't had any problems (30+ mph sprints/hard climbing up hills).

msawyer110

Thanks for all the replies. I went in on friday and put my deposit down, decided on some of the gear I'm goin to be getting, like bottle cages and pack. I also tried on shoes, I knew that since I'm going a little out of my budget to get the tarmac I might have to skimp on good shoes. Well after trying on most of the popular ones, it was easy for me to pick the Sidi genius model. It was just so much more comfortable, and proper fitting then the others. Its going to be a long two weeks before I go take her home, but I know the wait is worth it. I didn't know when you buy shoes they fit the cleat on you while your on a bike. Also fit he bike to me once the shoes are done. I'm really glad I bought new for my first time. Getting fitted properly all the way around is going to be a good thing for a beginner.

msawyer110

Hey Guys, i was finnaly able to go pickup the new whip. YAY, i had so much fun yesterday. My 2 rides to and from my friends house were extremely enjoyable. I love my kit, it feels like it will last forever. I could not get over the lack of resonance through the frame to my extremeties. The carbon frame really did feel like it was minimizing road buzz to a negligible level!!!I posted a few pictures of the Tarmac once i got it home. On both of my stava runns i stopped periodically once because my new cadence computer stopped working, and the other time was because a fellow biker stopped me to ask what kind of lights i have. Im pushin 500 lumens on my headlight, and 60 lumens out the tail. When the bikes sitting in the dark it almost looks like a motorcycle with HID's lol. Anyways just thought i would share my great experiences with you. I will have to say when i switched from the bike trails to the road for just five minutes and suv i guess was trying to make a point and flew past me doing 50 with about a foot or two in between us. I cant believe there are people out there who will risk going to jail for the rest of their life for vehicular manslaughter just to make a point??? Sad place America is in today.Very little repect for one another! Today im going to up the milage a little more. My friend lives 20mi away so here in a few hours im gonna set off his direction. Thanks guys i just thought i would post my exciting first DAY!Bitten


http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1515/ ... 090463.jpg
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1515/ ... 090473.jpg
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1515/ ... 090474.jpg
http://app.strava.com/activities/33375229
http://app.strava.com/activities/33396267

thefd

msawyer110 wrote:

I'm liking the old sock on the floor. I like the bike! How much did you pay for it, just out of interest?

tiredofwhiners

msawyer110 wrote:

Hey Guys, i was finnaly able to go pickup the new whip. YAY, i had so much fun yesterday. My 2 rides to and from my friends house were extremely enjoyable. I love my kit, it feels like it will last forever. I could not get over the lack of resonance through the frame to my extremeties. The carbon frame really did feel like it was minimizing road buzz to a negligible level!!!I posted a few pictures of the Tarmac once i got it home. On both of my stava runns i stopped periodically once because my new cadence computer stopped working, and the other time was because a fellow biker stopped me to ask what kind of lights i have. Im pushin 500 lumens on my headlight, and 60 lumens out the tail. When the bikes sitting in the dark it almost looks like a motorcycle with HID's lol. Anyways just thought i would share my great experiences with you. I will have to say when i switched from the bike trails to the road for just five minutes and suv i guess was trying to make a point and flew past me doing 50 with about a foot or two in between us. I cant believe there are people out there who will risk going to jail for the rest of their life for vehicular manslaughter just to make a point??? Sad place America is in today.Very little repect for one another! Today im going to up the milage a little more. My friend lives 20mi away so here in a few hours im gonna set off his direction. Thanks guys i just thought i would post my exciting first DAY!Bitten

http://app.strava.com/activities/33375229
http://app.strava.com/activities/33396267

You might want to remove those links to your photo's as they show exactly where your pride and joy is kept - the downside of using a camera phone

and sadly you'll find that drivers going to prison over killing a cyclist are very rare.

cornerblock

Welcome aboard msawyer110. Next thing to do is find yourself a club to join, I hear that cyclists in Plano, Texas are always looking for new blood.

Happy riding.

ben@31

TheFD wrote:

msawyer110 wrote:

How much did you pay for it, just out of interest?

+1. I was thinking about upgrading in a Tarmac and I was wondering how much you paid for it too?

msawyer110

2013 sport mid compact 1850.00$
And i got 20% off my entire kit. Im very happy.