The new (old) bike is here

Well, reason won out over emotion, I have to say (see previous post for an explanation). After much umming and arring I decided to go for a 2008 F4 Felt. The bike is in perfect nik, great groupset, and after a few choice upgrades feels as good as new. No, even better. The seat is now a Specialized Toupe 143 with a split in the middle so I don't get too saddle sore. The handlebar tape has been upgraded with gel liners, new gears at the back for better climbing, and brand new shoes round out the purchase. Did a quick cycle on the Lowveld hills, in preparation for the Panorama, and yesterday did a Mozal double-loop, managing to climb up Matola ridge at a nice steady (anaerobic 170 bpm) pace! The bike feels light and I'm still not used to how responsive it is.. almost kicked the bike from under me when I got out of the saddle, which just goes to show the difference between a stiff carbon fibre bike and an aluminium one. Not that I'm knocking my old Scott Cyclocross... Far from it. It was an honourable steed and served me well on the horrible Maputo streets. But I have evolved as a cyclist (I hope!) and it's splendid all-round nature no longer meets my specific racing and training needs. So out with the old, and in with the new (old).
Oh, did I mention it was second-hand?
I had to forgo the (arguably) more aerodynamic Felt AR4 and it's beautiful matt sheen and beautiful lines. The rear wheel arch is quite splendid.. But I digress.. Back to my F4. It is absolutely fantastic. Light, responsive, great components, reasonably comfortable to ride, although I'll have more to say on that when I'm going up to Namaacha later on in the week. The Namaacha climb, for those non-cyclists of you out there, is quite a mission to get up. An almost all up-hill 16km climb, with the final stretch almost a wall. There is no more liquid in your body to shed a tear on the top.
What else to say about it? Nawt else, except I hope to do a lot more cycling in the future!

Choosing a bicycle or Emotion over Reason

How do we chose things? Depending on our time, and the importance of the purchase, this process may vary substantially. Dish-washing liquid. Probably a nanosecond of thinking, before we remember all the Sunlight adds and then chose that.
What about a bike? Two wheels, a frame, gears and breaks. Should be simple. Choose your brand and go. Well, not so fast. You see, once upon a time you could get a cheap bike for $100 and an expensive one for 5 or 600$. Now add another zero or two and you’ve got the picture. Furthermore each brand has created a whole range of price points and different models that could make car manufacturers envious. A relatively new bike manufacturer, Felt, has been around for 10 tears as its own brand hand has around 30 different models. Now that is a lot of choice! However they only really make 4 or 5 different bikes, and the differences in each line end up being about components and grams. Yes, grams. The less it weighs the more it costs. A lot more! We have the subtleties of the (marginally) different groupsets. Nice word, groupset, for expensive breaks and gears. And bike manufacturers are out to stir your emotions. Because if reason had anything to do with it, 95% of cyclists would realise that going faster has all to do with the engine (body, legs, lungs) and little to do with the chassis (bike). Certainly there have been advances; bikes are lighter than yesteryear, stiffer, better gears, more aerodynamic… bit it’s still the engine that pushes it along. And there is nothing more sad than seeing a fat guy on a Colnago. Our reason tells us this, tells us that spending $4000 on a bike is ludicrous, let alone $8000, especially since the “latest” technologies will be eclipsed in next year’s model! But cycling marketing departments know where we are weak. In our emotional response. If they can stir that, then reason has little hope in calming you down, making you think rationally, and buying the $1000 bike instead. Which is still expensive in my book. I mean, aren’t things supposed to get cheaper as you make more of them? But that’s another discussion…