Sunday Spin

Absolutely gorgeous day for a ride - sun was shining, air was crisp, and I had a new bike to ride!

Yesterday by the end of the ride I was pretty proficient gettin my feet in and out of the pedal cages, today was no different - well cept for the fact that I didn't have to look down to get my foot back in place - Go me!

I started out on my usual route but instead of going all the way down to 90 I turned left at Jess Pirtle Blvd and headed toward Sugar Mill Park - saw my park, made the loop at the cul de sac rode back out of the subdivision and headed over to Stadium Dr.  I'd ridden up that road before but never all the way to the stadium, home of the Sugar Land Skeeters. 

Let me say if you ever want to feel like a little kid on your bike go to Skeeter Stadium's parking lot when it's empty and ride your heart out!  The parking lot has an incline that's just steep enough that you won't have to struggle gettin to the top and can have a blast flyin to the bottom!  I did it twice! First time I did big swerves comin down then raced back to the top and just flew straight down the lot out onto the street and headed toward home - what a rush! And yes, yes I was hootin, hollerin, and being childish the entire time - it was fantastic!!

The rest of the ride I behaved as a good cyclist should and arrived home safe n sound.

My average speed and pace as well as my total time were almost identical to yesterday - my new bike really is faster! *wink*

Maiden Voyage

What an amazing ride!!!
I could feel the 15 pound difference. I knew there would be a difference, I mean with 15 pounds less weight there would have to be. I guess I just didn't expect it to be so blatantly obvious!
I didn’t pedal with any more effort on my new Trek then I did on my Specialized - the ride was easier and the difference in speed was very noticeable.
I did 10.3 miles in 51.5 minutes! The times on my splits were faster then I have ever gone, a lot of them were under five minutes and those that were over were only over by a few seconds – I was haulin butt!
Speaking of butts mine didn't hurt any more or less than it did on my other seat - most noticeable and welcomed difference on my body was no tingling in my toes or hands around mile 8.  Will still have to adjust to the lean forward posture but I don't think that will be too difficult

By way of comparison
The same route, almost the same time of day

	Specialized	Trek
Average speed	9.07 mph	12 mph
Average pace	6.37 min/mi	5 min/mi

I was so busy marveling at the awesomeness of my new bike I neglected to make any "bike ride observations" - maybe tomorrow

My New Baby

Today was the day!  I picked up my new bike!
I ended up getting the same brand, Trek, but a different model then the one Santa's Elves had looked at.  Not a lot of differences – right shifter only goes to 7 instead of 8, the pedals are plastic instead of metal – neither of those things make a difference in my riding right now.  The model I got only came in black, a non issue for me even though the tidal green color of the other model would have been fun to have. They weigh the same, have the same basic frame design – the model I got allows me to sit up a bit more, not upright like my Specialized but not so far forward that my wrist/arms will hurt.
This bike is 15 pounds lighter then my Specialized! 15!

I knew the seat needed to be replaced before I left the store, my butt was getting sore just sittin on it while the Bike Barn guy adjusted this n that to my levels

I picked out a nice cushy seat

Seat changed out, more adjustments made – my new baby was ready to ride
Well cept I wanted to get pedal cages…I’m not at the “clip to your pedal” level of riding yet.  Pedal cages are like the training wheels of the pedal clip world, therefore appropriate for me!

Oh and I needed a water bottle cage…lots of cages in the bike world huh? LOL

Everything changed out, attached, adjusted, bill paid – time to put my new ride in the truck and head home.
Only bummer - I have to wait til tomorrow to ride due to previous obligations *sigh*

Thank you Burt - you were a great help and very patient

7.2FX-WSD

Holy Guacamole Batman!
Santa brought me a new bike!
Totally caught me off guard, wasn’t even entertaining the possibility
But there it was, the last gift I opened – the tag had some mysterious code on it – inside there was a poem, a picture, and a gift card – I was silent, not sure what to say – I think I smiled, pretty sure I was smiling.  I was smiling inside I know that!  Inside I was all freakin smiles!
The last mention of a new bike was November 10th  after my Tour de Cure 30 mile ride. That day while we ate celebratory burgers and I basked in my 30 mile victory the discussion topic had gone to how inappropriate my Specialized baby was for such rides.  As challenging as it was I was hooked, I knew I wanted to do more rides…but my Specialized was NOT the bike for long rides like the one I had just completed.
Lunch ended, life went on, I continued to ride my Specialized.
Flash forward a month and change and there I sat on Christmas Eve Day, the soon to be proud owner of a bike that was very appropriate for long challenging rides
Oh! Emm! Gee!
I couldn’t find the words, still haven't found the words to accurately and appropriately express my excitement and gratitude.