By 1995, after only a few weeks of training on the Le Tour, I decided I needed a triathlon bike. The Le Tour was made of steel and was just too heavy. The aluminum bikes were lighter and stiffer and exactly what a budding triathlete needed. I finally convinced my wife I needed it. By that time, there were no more Schwinn shops. Schwinn had been sold by the founding family and maybe even filed bankruptcy once or twice. So, I purchased a black Cannondale MS800 from my a local bike shop. But the Schwinn went back into the garage.
The Cannondale was their entry level tri bike. The bike shop guy convinced me I needed the model on the floor. “It’s a perfect fit,” he said. NOT! It was too big and I didn’t discover that until my back began to hurt. Still I raced on that Cannondale for more than a year with a sore back. Luckily, a person needing a tri bike saw my ad and purchased it for exactly what I bought it for.
With the money I made on the Cannondale, plus a little extra, I graduated to a more triathlon specific black Quintana Roo. What a wonderful bike. I purchased it from a QR dealer far away, after being sized properly at a triathlon. I probably have 12,000 miles on that bike. I just love riding my bike. The Quintana Roo has served me well. After several minor crashes and a mishap with the bike, car, roof rack and garage door, the QR is still going strong. Opps…hate it when that happens.
After purchasing the QR, my wife and I had our second child. Due to pregnancy complications, she could no longer run so decided to take up cycling. The Schwinn Le Tour got dusted off again to yet another life. Although it didn’t fit her very well, it was close enough that she caught the cycling bug. She rode it for a few years. The Le Tour served our family well for many years. We eventually traded it for a lighter and smaller used “red” Cannondale. My wife couldn’t care less what kind of bike it was, but she knew the color. She rode that “red’ bike for four years and completed four MS 150 bike tours. She has developed into an awesome cyclist.
2 comments:
Getting a comfortable saddle makes all the difference in riding. If you work with your local bike shop, they are usually more than happy to let you try one before you buy. Take advantage of the "fitting" services as well. The owner of our local bike shop takes the time to fit the bike to the rider, and again - that helps a lot. Keep cycling! P.S. Enjoyed dinner at Santioni's!!
P.P.S. We enjoyed dinner at Santioni's as well! BTW, wife got stung by a yellowjacket (we think!), thought she'd gotten shot by her reaction.....speaking of reactions, her leg swelled up like a balloon and is still swollen after almost a week! The insects have been crazy at the Baldwin Trail this year.
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