Mar 232013
I’m admittedly brand new to this road bike thing, and so I can’t really call this a review. But I’ve had a few decent little rides on my new toy so far, and beyond liking it far more than I expected to, I had some initial thoughts.
- This thing is fast. It’s easy fast, almost like it’s cheating.
- I know it’s not the lightest bike on the market by a long way, but given that my only point of reference is 20 years of riding mountain bikes (and mostly crappy ones)… Damn, is it light!
- The drivetrain is everything a drivetrain should be. It’s smooth, it’s easy, and the gear ratios are spaced just right to maintain momentum when the incline changes up or down.
- Speaking of the drivetrain, I’m a big fan of the big ring. The small ring… well, it gets me up when the hills get too steep, but that’s about it. I suppose that’s how it’s supposed to be. I need to figure out how/when to drop to the small ring without squandering so much momentum.
- Did I mention this thing is fast? I know it sounds silly to the lifelong roadies reading this, but the novelty of the speeds is still fresh with me. 18 mph cruises on flat pavement are just natural. I can definitely see 20 as a normal speed in the not-so-distant future, and 25 comes super easy whenever I feel like kicking it up a bit. And don’t even get me started on descending. No sooner do I think about a tuck, than I’m going 35 or more. Nuts.
- Which leads me to my last observation. BOY am I wobbly on this bike! I would guess it’s mostly mental, but I’m all sorts of shaky! Kinda funny, really.
I guess that’s all for now. First road bike, sure, but I think I picked a good one. I can’t see any reason to upgrade, like, ever.