Way-Fast Whitey

Ok. I'll admit it. I've developed a bit of a "bike habit" since moving to Flordia. But let me explain...

Until 2004 I hadn't ridden my bike in over....well, let just say a long time. Our last year in Atlanta I started doing some light mountain biking again. The trails around Atlanta are terrific, and I was slowly working my way back into shape. Then the whole job-move thing got in the way. Now living in south Florida and with no house to work on, I had plenty of time to ride again.

The term "mountain biking" used in FL is as much an oxymoron as "surf fishing" would be in someplace like Vail, CO. So, road riding would have to be the order of the day. Naturally, this necessitated the changes to my bike that I described earlier. These turned out great and riding has been a significant factor in retaining my sanity here in FL. Still, something was missing.

My friend Derek has been asking me to find him a bike for several months. As a result, I've been shopping eBay for a while. Then last week I found this.... an '04 Specialized Roubaix in my size. Ostensibly I bought this bike for Derek. That Derek is at least 6" shorter than me is a minor detail. Of course, there is a chance that this bike will actually fit Derek. I would say at least as much chance as one might have in catching an Atlantic marlin somewhere in Colorado. (Hey - it could happen: global warming, a giant tsunami, a meteor striking the earth could all be plausible contributing factors) However, if for some unknown reason Derek didn't like the bike, or say it didn't fit him. Well then - I suppose I would just have to find him another bike, wouldn't I? Then this one would be mine, ALL MINE!!! Ahem. Sorry

As I said, I found this bike on eBay one night last week. The seller wanted local pickup (in FL) so it worked out well. I picked it up today and she's everything a road bike should be - fast and light. The carbon fork, seatstays, seatpost and headset make for a smooth ride. Components and wheels are pretty good (105 / Alex) which makes a nice package. It even came with a nice set of shimano clipless pedals, a Sigma computer and a small seat bag to boot. I put 6 miles on it this evening in a light rain. Its quite a nice ride. The front / rear carbon really soaks up the big bumps yet the aluminum main triangle make her good and stiff for good power transmission. Very nice.

In truth, at 6'2" - 200lb the 58cm Ruby is a bit small for me. I think its probably a bit big for Derek. However, unlike most bike shops, I prefer larger road frames to smaller ones. While smaller frames are slightly more maneuverable, they transmit more energy (bumps) to your body. Larger road frames ride a little better from the longer wheel base and the larger frame soaks up the road noise better. At the same time I think larger frames are a bit "stiffer" because of lower rider loading and put more pedal energy to the wheels. If this bike is too big for Derek it shouldn't be by much. With a little tuning it should be a sweet ride for him. Never mind the fact that his first real road bike will be the equivalent of a BMW M3. Lucky bastard.

There's also the "cool factor." When I brought this bike home last night a couple of the neighborhood kids were hanging around. One of the boys came over and asked "Hey mister, is that some kind of racing bike?" I replied "Yes. Yes it is. " His reply "Wow. It sure is a cool bike!" For a moment I thought - Wow, I'm cool. I haven't been cool since....uhhh....err... Hey! I'm finally cool!! I'm not sure, but D might need a few pre-ride couseling sessions before having a bad-ass new bike and being cool. It could distract him too much and cause him to wreck. And we certainly don't want him damaging this cool new bike.

For the time being, I now have a total of 3 bikes: my old bike converted to a commuter (shown below); a Novara FS mountain bike which is currently being upgraded (my friend Bill Bauer at Promark Engineering is custom fabricating some suspension parts for me - the subject of a future post); and the Roubaix. Its pretty cool to be able to go out and grab a ride to suit my mood. Anything from muddy off-road trails, to grabbing coffee and a paper, to flat-out road racing. But the best part is that, even including all my tinkering and upgrades, I have significantly less money in all three bikes than any one of them cost to buy new. Enough money in fact to buy another bike. Hmmm...I wonder where I can get another Roubaix for me to ride???