Last December I decided to get a bike fit at
Benidorm Bike in Canton, CT. The lovely Jan (who has a very distinct Pittsburgh accent), Master's BG Fit Technician, spent more than 3 hours with me on a snowy afternoon outfitting my Novara Strada to help me achieve a proper fit. It turns out the bike I bought from REI was a bit small for me, so Jan had to practically max out all aspects of my bike including some new parts. The process was expensive, but made me realize how much better and more comfortable biking can be when your bike has the appropriate fit, especially on the long haul bike rides.
Well all winter long I had it in my head that my bike was too small and even though Jan outfitted it for me, it still bothered me. I probably would not have done anything about the bike, mostly out of laziness and a lot because of cost, but my roommate decided that he wanted to get into road biking and inquired if I had plans to buy a new bike. He would mention it to me, I would say "probably sometime" and then forget about it. Until one day....
On a Saturday afternoon in May, I decided to take a ride back to Benidorm and just peruse the stockpile to see what goods were in store this season. Pete greeted me and even remembered my name (I hadn't been in the store since January). We chatted for a few minutes, talked about what I was looking for and then got down to the dirty work...road test!
I tried a few bikes out and then Pete had the gall to put me on the Specialized Tarmac. I instantly fell in love with the full carbon sweetness. After the test ride he asked me what I wanted to do next. I said that I wanted to sleep on it overnight and think about it. Pete then said "What is there to think about? I saw your face when you came back." Can't blame the man for trying to sell me the bike. He set up the bike according to my bike fit from December and told me to come back on Sunday for a ride.
I took the bike and all its brand new glory out on the road. The handlebars still wrapped in plastic, I managed to get better at the different brand of shifters and was amazed at the quietness of the ride. The road seemed to disappear. The ride wasn't as long as I wanted but it was getting hot and I had no water, so I headed back to the shop and bought it. Case closed.
Brought the bike back home, sold my Strada to the roommate and life has been pure bliss ever since.
First Race
Every other Thursday night during the summer there is a sprint tri in Marlborough, CT at Lake Terramuggus. Unfortunately, I've only competed in one of the sprint tri's at Lake T this summer, but the one that I did compete gave me instant fame. Well not really fame or notoriety, but my picture ended up in the Benidorm Bike July
Newsletter.
I think this bike and I will have a long life together. Filled with many miles and much sweat.
