Posted by Les Faber in As I mentioned in this post, I am on the hunt for a road bike. It’s turned out to be a huge undertaking. Why you ask? Well there are many reasons. First and foremost, the available selection is very high. Then, once you have narrowed things down, you need to make further choices, such as the base frame (frameset), groupings (gruppos!), etc…. This has become daunting as my area of cycling expertise does not get down to this granular of a level. No matter. It just gives me something new to learn!
I have visited numerous bike shops, done intense research, and spoken with people who know way more then me. The result you ask? Well there are a few:
- I am not as confused as I was at the start
- I have learned quite a bit
- I am committed to getting a 3rd bicycle (sorry Helen)
- One could spend $10,000 on a bicycle (easily) – but do I need such a beast? (The answer is “no”)
- I have decided on a budget (that’s a secret)
Through my research, friends of mine at the KNBC referred me to a fellow who had built their bikes last year. I held off on making contact until I had done my initial research. Long story short, I met Andy earlier this week. Spending time with this “veteran” cyclist was simply awesome. He lives out in the country with his wife. After 60 seconds with the man, you can feel his lifelong love of cycling.
So what does a man who has cycled all his life do during the Winter? Around here, the choices are slim. Andy assembles bicycles. Not many. Just enough to keep himself involved. Forget about the Summer though. He rides most days and still manages the odd 100 kilometer ride on the country roads that crisscross the landscape in his area.
During my visit, he shared some old photos of him cycling. Imagine racing at the Velodrome in Montreal? That would be back in the 70′s. And Andy was no kid back then. Get the picture?
I am not sure what I enjoyed the most about our visit. Was it the cycling knowledge? Or was it his photo album? I think it’s a tie.
Stay tuned for the next episode in my road bike buying saga.
