I have a friend who has recently taken up triathlon - nearly nine years to the day after I did my first tri. She, like me, completed it on a hybrid bike - mine was about ten years old. And she, like me, is now looking at road bikes, which warms the cockles of my heart. Another convert!
It's the end of the season, we have a lot of people on the team who will be thinking about buying a road bike for the next season. Deals can be had right now and winter is a great time to be test riding bikes before pulling the trigger on a new one in time for the glorious spring weather. So I thought I'd write a bit about what I've learned this time around.
First some background. I raced my first two triathlons three weeks apart in 2009. After completing the first with no other hybrid bikes passing me, I knew that a road bike was in my future. And I bought one before the next race. While I look back at that as probably too rushed, I ended up with a bike that I have loved for nine years and that has inspired the name of this blog. Quite simply, Indy has carried me to the moon and back.
So, how on earth did I luck out? Was it luck? Or did we actually do something right in selecting her? This brings me to my first two lessons.
- Do some research on the components, major brands, the different styles of bikes. For a while there I considered buying a cyclocross bike, but realized that I needed a road bike. Don't buy based on that research, but do educate yourself so you can compare one bike against another in terms of value for money.
- Find yourself a store where you like the salesperson and trust that person. Strangely enough, they know what they're talking about! Not all stores will give you a good vibe. They need to listen to your needs, respect your budget, educate you without making you feel dumb, and be patient about bringing out bikes for your to test. Preferably find a local bike store (LBS) rather than a national chain, although I am a fan of REI for the service.
My experience in this area was spectacular the first time around. I found a store (Spokes Etc) with a nice salesperson who sent me out on bikes in my range and even a full carbon just so I could see what it was like (knowing that I wouldn't buy it). When we found a bike that I liked and he thought fit me, we found that I was between sizes. Because he respected my desire to put aerobars on it, he said I should get the smaller frame. Unfortunately, they didn't have that size in stock, so he sent me to a competitor. I've sent many many people to that store because of that single act of complete professionalism.
That wasn't the end of the story. Indy didn't fit me right from the get go and I had a lot of pains and chaffing. It took until four years later before I spent the $$$ on a full professional fit - different to the basic fit that comes with the purchase. That's the subject for a completely different blog post, but it all essentially comes down to this: Biking shouldn't hurt. Did you hear that? It's worth saying again.
Biking. Shouldn't. Hurt.
Back to the topic of this post.
I've known for a while that Indy needed replacing. She's nine years old, completed Ironman, Mountains of Misery twice, lots of triathlons, several centuries and three bike tours. She doesn't owe me a penny. Her componentry is on its last legs and she's heavy and I've wanted to see what I can do with a lighter bike for a while.
It wasn't without trepidation that I faced this process. I think I've mentioned once or a million times - I love Indy. She fits me like a glove and I'm so familiar with her that I'm fearless on the downhills (my favorite). And I quickly realized that being a super experienced cyclist on this one bike, doesn't make me a super experienced cyclist overall. I didn't know diddly about bikes. Essentially, I didn't know what I didn't know.
So, at the ... ahem ... urging of Mark, I just tested out bikes. Lots of bikes. Different brands, different models within those brands. Different sizes. And I slowly started to dial in on what kind of bike that I wanted. So ... in no particular order, here are my additional lessons for buying a bike.
- Find what "character" of bike speaks to you. Compare two models of at least two brands. For instance, I tested the Specialized Ruby and Amira, and the Trek Domane and Madone. By doing this, I found out that while I didn't really intellectually understand the difference in wheelbase length or mechanisms for dampening the feel of the road, I definitely felt that the stiffer bikes, the ones with quicker pickup powering over the top of a hill or around a corner 'spoke' to me. I had a bigger smile on my face and just enjoyed the test ride more. You might find that you want a softer ride, or more stability on the downhill. It doesn't matter - listen to what the bikes are telling you about your desires. After all, if you don't love this bike, you're not going to ride it.
What does this bring you? Once you dial in on what character you like, you've immediately reduced your pool by half. Now you can go into a store and say "I'm finding that I like a very stable, upright, comfortable bike." Or whatever characteristics you've noticed that you like. And they should show you bikes that are like that.
Note - color doesn't count. You are only allowed to take color into account if you're choosing between two equal bikes.
Second note - it's ok to eliminate a category of bikes based on one feature (except color). For instance, I quickly learned that I had to eliminate bikes with a horizontal top tube because my fat knees kept on hitting it as I peddled. If it annoyed me in the parking lot, I was likely to be homicidal after 50 miles. - Ride lots of bikes. This means going to different stores (see above about finding a store you like). Different stores carry different brands. I tested Specialized, Trek, Ridley, Orbea, Pinarello, and Cannondale. Yes, there are some that I missed. There will always be some that I miss. But the point is that between just a few brands, there are lots of bikes to test. And one of them will speak to you. I promise.
- Compare each new bike against the top contender. So, in other words, you only ever have two bikes to compare. Isn't that so much simpler than the cereal aisle syndrome? And don't be afraid to go back to your first two or so with all this new knowledge and sensitivity.
- Don't listen to other people (including me!). What? But ... Mary, you're the bike whisperer! You've just been through this. Haven't you ended up with the perfect bike? Yes! Yes I have. With one small but important modifier. I have found the perfect bike for me. You know this. Horses for courses, right? Clothes fit everyone differently, we all have different taste in food, pets and men. One saddle will be like an easy chair for one person but a torture device for another. Yes, reviews and general opinions on major brands can come into play, but don't go buying a bike just because your riding companion also has the same one. Besides - being matchy matchy is just embarrassing.
- Ride bikes above your price range. There's a reason bikes are priced the way they are. See what you're missing and decide if that's important to you. For instance, I decided that a better, stiffer carbon was important to me, so I paid for that. But the lightest version of my bike wasn't worth spending the extra.
- Buy the frame that fits, not the super duper componentry. This sounds at odds with lesson #7 above, but it's not. It's a pragmatic way of looking at your purchase. The frame can't be changed for love nor money. Get the frame that fits, and if money is an issue, buy the version with the lowest componentry it comes with (while staying within the standard 2-3 major manufacturers - see #3 above). When you've worn that derailleur or cluster out, you can always upgrade. Yes, it's cheaper in the long run to buy it all at once, but definitely not cheap!
- If anything is niggling at you, don't buy it. Bearing in mind that this bike hasn't been fitted to you (the first fine tuning you'll get when you initially purchase the bike), but did your torso feel slightly stretched out? (Versus your arms - see #4 above - this will become clear.) Don't buy it. Did you feel like you couldn't quite control the bike? Don't buy it. Did it twitch about a bit much and did that scare you? Don't buy it. See #3 Note 2 above.
I lied - this last one is the most important. So there is some kind of order to this list.
- Budget for a full professional fit. Remember, this isn't the 30 minute job you get when you buy the bike. That's good enough to get you started. And there is some merit maybe in riding a bike for a while so you can appreciate the changes that the full fit makes. Or not. But maybe you have budgetary reasons for postponing or maybe you're just in shock at having spent more than $500 on a bike. As I said above, the full fit will dial this thing in for your peculiarities. You may have to buy a new saddle (typically the most high end saddles don't come with a bike and besides, everyone's ass is different), maybe a stem, maybe shims for your shoes. It's pricey ($2-300 for the fit, additional for the bits and pieces). But it does speak to making sure you take your time and get the best bike for you in the first place so the least needs to be done to fit it to you.
I'll make it super clear for you. A full fit will change your life. Doesn't get much more of an endorsement than that, right?
That's it folks! Any additional things you'd like to add?
1 comment:
Thanks for this Mary. And just in time. :-)
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