Posts by platypius

I've been away due to a lack of time.

The shop where I work was bought out at the end of February.  So, since then I've been (after getting rehired by the new owner) working on a new website, selling old inventory on eBay, working long hours to get the shop organized as the new owner wants it, etc.  We went from being an "everything" bike shop to a "Tri & Road ONLY" bike shop.

While I've been gone I also finished upgrading my new bike and bought 2 more as well.

I have a 2008 Masi Alare that came with Sora/Tiagra stuff on it.  I've replaced all of that with Ultegra and moved the Sora stuff to my Marin road bike.  I've also discovered that the Brooks B17N saddle is the most comfortable saddle on the planet.

One of our distributors had a close-out on old Cinelli frames.  So, now I own a NOS 1999 Cinelli Aliante.  I've built it up with Campy stuff (also close-out or old stock from the store) ranging from Veloce to Record.  The wheels are carbon Torelli  Aspects.  I haven't ridden it yet, sadly.

Last new bike purchase is a 2007 Haro Mary SS (29'er singlespeed).  We're getting rid of all of the mountain bikes for close to nothing, so I decided I'd better keep one for myself.

Now for Shop Talk:

Beware of buying anything with Shimano 105 STI Shifters this year.  They are having very bad luck with them.  We've gotten in 5 bikes that had the shifters stop working after about 20 shifts.  Of the replacements we ordered, 3 didn't work out of the box.  We've also had 3 bikes come back after a few hundred miles with broken 105 shifters.  Sora is fine, Ultegra is fine - it's only 105 for some reason.  QBP has noted a failure rate of over 50% on the 105 STI levers.

Other news:  Trek is dropping LeMond and finally putting the time and effort into Klein that it deserves.

The company who owns Mongoose and Schwinn - and tossed them into Wal-Marts across the country - now also owns Cannondale.  Is the world ready for a $97.83 Cannondale sitting on the shelves of Wal-Mart?

I'm sure most of you already know it by now, but SRAM added ZIPP to it's collection of companies.  SRAM now owns  TruVativ, Avid, RockShox, ZIPP, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

Original Post by alevin:

Why would you recommend the Madone over the Ruby?

The minor fit issues make it hard to really compare apples to apples. The Specialized Dolce, the women's frame aluminum bike which I also tried, felt a little small, but maybe that would have been fixed by raising the handlebars and the seat a bit. The trek felt nice and fast, but the handlebars felt too wide and awkward. Maybe the trek felt faster because I rode the Treks in the morning after breakfast, and the Specialized in the afternoon without a proper lunch.

The specialized shop is the place in my neighborhood that fixes my bikes, and I'd like to give them money, all things being equal. If I buy the trek I'll go to the other shop for the computer and accessories.

Both bikes are going to be a vast improvement over the 199x Diamondback.

 Honestly?  The Specialized Ruby just doesn't do it for me.  Of course, I'm not female, so it doesn't have to.  I just like the frame and looks of the Madone better.  It has a really good parts pick, too - the house Bontrager stuff is really good.

Original Post by alevin:

platypius, congrats on the nice new bike and good luck with the bike shop transition.

so, I test-rode bikes today and need to make a decision. I tried aluminum and carbon in Specialized and Trek, and liked the carbon better. The two models were Specialized Ruby and Trek Madone 4.5. Neither model was configured quite right. The Specialized sold its Ruby model to the woman who was shopping ahead of me, so I tried the men's Rubaix with a fit that wasn't quite right. The Trek handlebars weren't quite right, I think I'd want to swap them.

any advice, beyond platypius' general recommendation of specialized over trek?

 

 Any good bike shop should be willing to change out any part (within reason) to make the bike how you want it. If that means changing the handlebar on the Trek, they should do so. If they won't, go to another store. We never let a customer leave the store with a new road bike unless we had measured them for the correct width bar, and had given them a basic fit as far as saddle height and stem length & height. If we had to swap out handlebar and stem, we did so. An uncomfortable customer is an unhappy customer.  Talk to them about it.

Original Post by hkd_bear:

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum (and generally new to CC+). I'm a die hard roadie in Toronto. (well, i 'died hard' of burn out at the end of last season and decided (for other reasons than burn out mainly) to retire from a 5 year race career.)

Following Platypius' lead, my bikes are as follows - and I'm pleased to find someone in platypius who has way more bikes than me!!!

1. Pinarello Prince (my 'engagement ring' - I got a 9-tooth cog in a box at the restaurant and 'nello was waiting for me at home!)

2. Cervelo P3 time trial (see pic)

3. Thin Blue Line (my first road bike that I now use for winter training)

4. Kona Kilaeua mountain bike

5. Thin Blue Line mtb now converted for commuting

6. Old ten-speed painted white EVERYWHERE with silver sparkles - was a decoration at my wedding where it featured a just married sign and tin cans attached by string at the back.

I have also had the pleasure of racing the 2006 season on a Cervelo Carbon Soloist, and, at Provincial Champs last summer, I raced my little teammates carbon Aquila because my chain broke 5 minutes before the start!!!

Fun!!!

 I lust after a Cervelo P3.  Even working at a bike shop (and Cervelo dealer) with Employee Purchase, I STILL can't afford one.  lol.  From the "test rides" I've had though, I absolutely love the bike.

As for my new one... Almost all of the stuff I've listed on eBay (with the exception of my Bianchi BOSS and a few bits and pieces) has sold; so I have enough to buy the Masi I've been drooling over for 2 months.  It's only an Alare, but I doubt that it'll be long before I've upgraded it to DuraAce, Record, or SRAM Red.  I was going to buy the Masi Speciale Commuter, but I'd have a ton of money into making it something other than a single speed.  I only wanted the frame, really.  Plus, we already have the Alare in my size in stock.  So....I'm going to the shop tomorrow with lust in my eyes and money in my pocket.

I rode the Hilly last year.  However, as a vendor, I only get to ride one day.  I did the 40 mile Sunday route last year.  I'm hoping to have time to do the 50 mile route this year.

Oh, and since you're a "hoosier cyclist", check out my web site.  I'm trying to get all of us together so that we can share routes, discuss riding conditions in various parts of the state, etc.

www.hoosiercycling.com

Well, I finally found this thread.  carrihound sent me over, so here I be.  lol

I'm a bike mechanic/sales guy/internet guru at a high-end shop in Indy.   Spent the previous 7 years doing IT/web design work and eating on the go (ie: fast food).  So, I have a bit of "excess" to lose.

All of my bikes are from when I worked at the shop before - so, 2000 and earlier.  If you're interested, they are:

1. Rocky Mountain Vertex

2. Specialized Rockhopper (Ritchey tubing)

3. Marin Venezia (road)

4. Bianchi B.O.S.S.

5. Cannondale F500i

6. Trek 850

7. Schwinn MesaRunner (1980s)

8. Rutledge "Cruiser" (1950s)

9. Some kind of old mountain bike  (really, unknown.  was left at the shop with no stickers or other identifying marks)

10. KHS "Police" issue MTB

I live in Indiana and I'm a wussy, so I'm not riding at the moment.  It's 19° and snowing...  Once it warms up I'll be training to ride RAGBRAI in July, and then the Hilly Hundred in October.

I'm not really partial to either one.  Of course, my shop doesn't sell either of them, so.... 

We sell Colnago, Masi, Cervelo, Litespeed, Quintana Roo, Merlin, Fuji, and Raleigh.  I'm seriously lusting over a Masi right now.  lol

 
That said, Trek, Specialized, Fuji, Giant, and a few others offer some really good choices.  I'd lean toward a Specialized, personally.

I posted too soon, it seems...

I've lost another 3 pounds.  Only 39 more to go!  lol

Howdy Nessa and Amber!

 (By the way....at the weigh-in today, I'm now at 9.5 pounds lost so far.  It comes off faster when you're really fat, I'm guessing)

I much prefer wireless.  First, it looks better.  Second, I've ripped too many wires out of wired computers.

Again, I prefer Sigma.  CatEye wireless computers suck to set up.  I've also used "Planet Bike" wireless computers, and they're actually quite nice.  The only issue I have is that they aren't auto-start.

The number of calories this site recommended for me was 3100.  There's no way I can do that.  So, I have my limit set at 2200 for now.  I'll adjust it as needed.  For the rest of the winter, it'll go down as I lose weight.  When I start riding again, though, it'll have to go up.  Most of my rides (based on my current weight) burn around 3000 calories.  Can't be eating 2200 when I'm burning 3000 on a bike ride.  lol

As for indoor trainers/spinning....  just can't do it.  It bores me to tears.  Unless I'm actually on a bike and moving toward a goal, I just can't do it.  I've been doing what I can here at home to get the blood flowing, though.  I've been working on the house - building bookcases, putting up walls, etc.  I've been doing some light sit-ups... I can't overdo that - I've had one ventral hernia, and I have an un-repaired  small umbilical hernia currently.  I have to watch what I do with weight training too - I ripped my lumbars in high school doing dead lift; my back still goes out frequently (cold or over-exertion).

I'm hoping that once I've lost some weight, the sit-ups won't be so painful for me.  Once I don't weigh more than I can bench press, I should be able to do push ups, too.  Basically, I let myself get into really crappy shape.