New Bike

[Clutch Munny]

Man, I hate spending large chunks of money. I get buyer's remorse before I even buy things.

I've just put down the deposit on a new touring bicycle, and am exhilerated and horrified in equal parts. It costs more than the first three cars I owned. But it's beautiful.

:bliss: :oyvey:

[Ensign Steve]

You got a pic?

[JoeP]

You got a pic?
No, he got a bike. Can't you read? :qduh:

[Clutch Munny]

I lurve that blue. (http://www.devinci.com/english/desti.html)

Mine'll have disc brakes and a rear rack, too.

I'm very fond of my Marin mountain bike, which I set up with slick tires for speedy commuting. Still I want something faster, good as a commuter but able to carry stuff over distance on the occasional weekend getaway. I'll still use the MTB on trails and in the snow (read: salt) come winter.

[viscousmemories]

Nice bike, Clutch. :1thumbup:

[livius drusus]

She's a beauty, but I just gotta ask how much you coughed up for her, or at least how much your first cars cost.

[rigorist]

I'm going to be buying one in the next few weeks. Right now I'm leaning toward a Giant OCR, but some of the Scotts look tempting, too.

[Clutch Munny]

I looked at (and rode) a used OCR-Touring. Didn't buy it, but should have, in retrospect. It's the reason I'm getting the discs on mine.

Liv, it's setting me back $1400 Canadian. Not much money for the high-end cycling crowd, and less if you convert it into USD, but... damn. Mother Clutch fed her seven kids for a long time on $1400.

[rigorist]

As long as you follow the car rule ("Don't spend more on your bike than you spend on your car"), you're OK.

Of course, if you don't own a car, you have a real problem applying that rule!

[livius drusus]

Liv, it's setting me back $1400 Canadian. Not much money for the high-end cycling crowd, and less if you convert it into USD, but... damn. Mother Clutch fed her seven kids for a long time on $1400.

Oh that's not bad at all. My dad paid more for his Pinto in 1971. (That little tin can is still running well too, despite three rear-endings.)

[Clutch Munny]

Yeah, I have several friends with bikes that cost twice as much. (And one whose bike cost $7500.) I'm just not someone who can drop over a thousand bucks on anything without getting the shakes. And no matter how much my riding keeps me in shape, saves the environment and saves money on gas and insurance... I can't get over my rural attitude of a bike as a toy.

Anyhow, I'm over the shock and am now just waiting eagerly for it to arrive after the long weekend.

[wildernesse]

What a nice bike! My bike (and car for that matter) is also that beautiful blue.

[Clutch Munny]

Got the bike delivered on Friday, and rode it to a conference this weekend in a nearby city, about 125 km away. Far enough, anyway, to get a sense of how it rides.

Beeeeeeeautiful. At least, on the way home. On the way there I hit a thunderhead and rode in hail and raindrops the size of cowpies for about two hours. Kinda killed the joy. Coming home it was brilliant sunshine and no traffic. Happy guy!

I hope to do more of that sort of thing now.

[wildernesse]

Wow, that's a nice piece of distance to do in a day. Good for you! I'm glad that it's as nice as you hoped.

I'm probably too slow to ride that far in a day!

[Clutch Munny]

Heck, no. Just have to pace yourself. On well-paved roads you could poke along, take 5 minutes to stretch every half-hour, and still do it in 6-ish hours. (I.e., leaving plenty of daylight to sit on a patio somewhere and consume pretty much whatever you want sans guilt.)

[livius drusus]

Not to mention upstage all the pasty philosopher types at the convention with your healthy glow.

[Clutch Munny]

Actually, when I got there I was quite whey-faced with cold. (Hail, it turns out, is made of ice). The only thing hiding this fact was about three kilos of grit from the wet roads, glued to me in a uniform layer of schmutz. The glow came later, and was alcohol-induced.

Of course, after two whole beers I did a Wallace Shawn-like smiling sideways topple.

[livius drusus]

Ah, you fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: Never go on a 125 km bike ride with chunks of ice the size of baby's head hitting you in the face. But only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against a bunch of Canadians when beer is on the line.

[Crumb]

:lmao:

[Clutch Munny]

Oh, by the next night I was ready to live up to my national heritage again.

If I lie, may I live a thousand years and never hunt again.

[wildernesse]

Heck, no. Just have to pace yourself. On well-paved roads you could poke along, take 5 minutes to stretch every half-hour, and still do it in 6-ish hours. (I.e., leaving plenty of daylight to sit on a patio somewhere and consume pretty much whatever you want sans guilt.)

You're probably right--I've done almost that much in a day (67 miles), but at the end I fell off my bike, put my bandana over my face and sobbed/laughed. :crackup:

[LadyShea]

Niiice! Hope you're enjoying it. I don't get it, but that's me.

[viscousmemories]

I had to go lie down after thinking about riding 125k. I can't even fathom doing it.