Have You Met Roxie?
/Soooo remember that time I signed up for a triathlon? Oh you don't because I haven't mentioned it on here... ;)
Well, in case you need to jog your memory you can check out the fateful day here.
Don't worry I will wait here until you are all caught up.
Done?
Really?
Already?
Well you are a fast reader.
Anywho...
... after completing the Boston Marathon on April 15 and taking some time off (okay not really as much as I should have, but there was some time off) it was time to come up with a triathlon training plan.
And that's where we hit the snag of ... oh you need a bike to complete a triathlon!
Say whaa??
So before coming up with an actual training plan, step one became: buy a bike. :)
Thankfully I have amazing friends and social media folk to steer me in the right direction. I had a long list of shops to check out.
Since I never shop alone (and my parents were kicking in some money as a belated christmas present), my dad and I headed out to a local bike shop - Ace Wheelworks - on Friday May 3 to start this whole process.
It brought back flashbacks of when he and I went to buy me a car as my college graduation present. <<shiver>>
I walked into the store like a blank slate! I was definitely going with the suggestions from the guy at the store. I trust the experts.
He steered me towards the Specialized Women's Road Bikes. They looked great. :P
Well he wanted me to try a Specialized Dolce Compact, but they didn't have one ready for me to ride.
My dad had to get to a dinner thing so we set up an appointment to go back to Ace Wheelworks the following day after 3pm to road test the bike.
We went back on Saturday, May 4 and had a different person helping us. But she quickly won be over with her knowledge of the bikes and especially how a woman would feel on the bikes.
It was weird to be back on a bike. I don't think I had ridden a bike since maybe high school? But, just like they say it, it was like riding a bike. The mechanics came back to me as soon as I got on there. Yes, I was still a little nervous, but it was great to feel the wind in my face.
I love that bike shops have you take the bike for a ride to find the right fit ... just like I do with running sneakers!
I test road 3 different styles ranging in three different price ranges and even tried a Trek Bike as well...
... but felt most comfortable on the Specialized Dolce Sport Compact. They only had the red option in stock and I was hoping for the charcoal and teal. The woman made a call to Wheelworks other location and they had one in stock! SCORE!
Isn't it pretty?
I wasn't ready to pull the plug on the sale yet, so we set up another appointment the next day to test ride the charcoal/teal Dolce Sport Compact. Woo!
After the bike shop, the wife and I headed to KMart for some shopping and I found THE bike I would use for my triathlon.
HA!
NOT! :P
On Sunday morning (May 5), we headed to Quincy so I could run the Half of Quincy then it was time to get back to the task at hand.
My dad, wife and I headed over to Farina's in Watertown to see what they had to offer. Their featured brands are Cannondale and Giant. The guy had me try a Giant. I took it around the blocks a couple times, but it was over my price point (cheapest option they had in stock) and just didn't feel right.
We finished up right on time to head back to Ace Wheelworks to see if it was in fact the bike of my dreams.
How could it not be?
I took the bike for a test ride and as soon as I pushed off I knew it was right. :) We were a match made in Heaven.
Boy are bikes expensive!! I know I could have taken more time to look at used models, but friends kept stressing to get the right feel and I am such a bike novice I wanted to trust the experts.
My crew and I pow-wowed and it was a consensus that this bike and I were made for each other ... and it was under the price point. I had been hoping to spend less than $1k on this bike since it is my first bike.
The Happy Couple
I went with the basics for Day One by just adding a water bottle holder. I can go back within the first month of purchase to pick up other essentials - like a bike lock, pedals with clips, another water bottle holder, etc.
I signed on the dotted line and the bike was mine.
There was just one little issue...
We rolled up in my Jetta. Yeah no real room for a bike in there with the three people.
So I had to make a date to pick the bike up on Tuesday (May 7).
Once the bike was selected, it felt like ages before I could pick her up.
With work schedules and weather, I've gotten out on the bike twice so far:
A quick 8 mile ride with my dad (May 10)
A solo trip around the Mystic River before a downpour (May 15)
It was crazy for me to see how much farther you get on a bike in the same amount of time I run. Yes, I know that should be obvious, but still. My first ride was a 2-to-1 ratio of bike miles to run miles. I hear the correct ratio should be 4-bike miles to 1-run mile. Eek! I have to work on my pace.
This week I am heading back to Ace Wheelworks to pick up a lock and an odometer to record my mileage/pace so I can start riding this baby around the city. :)
Oh and how could I forget!
Remember to call her Roxie ... she likes to be referred to by name! ;)
*** Do you have a bike? Did you name it? Are you hooked?
