I DID IT!!! CHA-CHING!!

Well, my pockets, wallet, and bank account are pretty lonely right now, but i'm PUMPED!!! I just got my first road bike, and I can't stop thinking about it. I think we might be in love. If valentines day hadn't already come and gone, there might have been a weird candle-lit situation going on with me and my new cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 5 105!



Here are the deets that made me splurge:

SAVE fork, Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs, 105 shifters

Originally, I went looking for the 2010 model of this bike, because...well...it was on sale! I had found it for $1159 online. I called around, and no one had any 2010 models left in the store. Finally, I called Back Bay Cycling, who said they had quite a few models of Synapses, and told me to come give them a test ride!

I was pumped, and hopeful that they didn't misunderstand me on the phone- thinking I'd said 2011. Well, they did.. no 2010 models to be found. I started drooling over the 2011, but it was $1389, easily $200 more than I was willing to pay. Then, we started talking about the PMC and he told me that he could offer it to me for $1200 since it was for a charitable ride!! I was PUMPED and almost sold.

What finally grabbed me was the test ride. OOOOOOOOh smoooooth as buuuuttah. I was hooked. I'll be honest, I was scared shitless to test ride my first bike, let alone on the middle of Comm Ave with all the furious Boston drivers!



I started off down an alley behind the shop, and weeeeee. Tried to remember all the "rules of the road" I've been reading about, but I'm sure I looked like an idiot. Not to mention the flapping neon price tag on the front of the bike that might as well have had "ROOKIE" written on it :-)

Nonetheless, I got back to the shop about 15 minutes later in one piece, with a dentless bike- and was sold. He didn't even need to hook me by describing how GREAT the new 105 components are, but he did. Listen ta this!

"New Shimano 105 is new for 2011 and incorporates many of the benefits that were originally developed for Dura-Ace 7900 series and integrated into Ultegra 6700 series. The new group is available in Sterling Silver for a classic road cosmetic or Lodestar Black for a more contemporary look. Overall, performance and durability is enhanced while the entire group manages to drop almost 30 grams from the prior generation."

Ummmm, in case you were wondering, the Dura-Ace and Ultegra are DIIIIME, TOP O' the LIIINE- and now 105 is being categorized into this sexy group, as opposed to being a "beginners" components. I KNOW that this is more than I probably need, but it's an investment, and something I will not outgrow in 1-2 years.

LASTLY, I get free tune ups FO' LYFE! AAAAND, they are going to give me a professional fitting (typ. $100-$300) fo' free! I am so confident that my money went to a great investment, and with the fitting, etc. I know that I will be riding the BEST way possible!

I highly recommend Back Bay Cycling to anyone. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, very helpful, great bikes and equipment, and a place I want to go back to in the future!!

Spin Class

So... Quick venting session. LOVE my spin classes; I've even started skipping out on other things so that I can go to class... I crave it! However, I need to get out of my hometown gym! I know too many of the moms there, and am not a fan of polite chit chat about their errand running, minivans etc! There's one mom in particular who is very... vocal. Today during class, she sounded like she was "in the bedroom" if you know what I mean. Yes, spin class is cardio, you are going to push yourself, and maybe even let a little moaning loose if you're really going for it. But she's screaming over the music, regardless of if its hills, intervals, or flat road! All I can hear is "YESSSSS, OOOOOH YEAAAAAH, YEAAAAAH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH" Really? There are other people in here going through the same workout, and I'm pretty sure they don't want to feel like they are sharing an intimate moment. Close quarters calls for a little mutual respect, yes?

Anyways, that's my venting for the day. Note to self: avoid Saturday morning class if possible

Bike options so far...

So I wanted to post some of the bikes I have been drooling over, and hope to get some feedback. If you have one of these, or something similar- or want to give me OTHER suggestions, please comment!

Cannondale Synapse Feminine 5 Compact $1159



Shimano 105 Components, aluminum frame, carbon fork with S.A.V.E.


Fuji- Roubaix 2.0, $1299 (deal at the store for $1099



A2-SL Alloy frame, Shimano Tiagra components, carbon fork



Specialized- Lexa SL, $1,149

Shimano Tiagra components, aluminum with carbon fork

Awesome! Just got the blogging app for my iPhone! I'm so excited because every morning and afternoon I have an hour on the train that could be well spent updating my blogs, and now I can! Not to mention it makes uploading my pictures that much easier because I can snap them on the go and upload straight through the app.

So saturday I went bike huntin'. Oh man, at first it was intimidating because I had no clue what I was doing. The first shop I went to, rockland cycle, was a little hole in the wall- but it had great customer reviews, so I checked it out. The guy inside was incredibly helpful, and spent an hour explaining the component differences and carbon versus aluminum frame, etc. The only thing was that he only sold Fugis, so I was curious what else was out there and how they compared. Thus my next stop, REI. as a chain, I knew they would be knowledgeable and have a larger selection. It took a little while to flag down some help, but it was worth being patient. They guy helping me was a bike enthusiast with about 5 of his own, and was so excited to be talking bikes in the middle of winter! He spent over an hour with me, explaining cannondales, shimanos, and specialized- as well as going into more depth about the components quality. By the end of the day (3.5 hours of bike talk) I had a good grasp on what to look for, bike vocabulary, and pricing. I did not feel pressured to buy at either store, they understood that I was looking for information, and took the time to break it all down without making me feel dumb. I like bikers!! :) ....(I say that when I'm not behind the wheel) this Thursday I'm going to another hop who is offering a one day sale to PMC riders... They are not disclosing the percentage of sale, so I don't know what to expect, but if nothing else it will be informative. In the mean time, I got this book to touch up on traffic laws for cyclists, and general safety info on riding. I'm halfway through and so far it has been helpful and interesting!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The artist in me

So, I got my first letter from a friend for a dedicated ride. I really want to make a point of honoring all of those that I'm riding for, and I really appreciate everyone sharing their stories with me.

Today I got a great idea! I'm going to keep all the notes people write to me through email, facebook, etc. about people close to their hearts who have fought cancer, and print them all out. As soon as I get my snazzy new helmet, I'm going to "Modge-Podge" all of the letters onto my helmet as a collage. That way, if people want their stories to stay private, they will- but they will still be visible and in my thoughts. I can carry everyone I am riding for WITH me the whole race :-) I'm pretty excited.

That being said, please let me know if there is someone you want me to ride for!! You don't have to tell the whole story if you prefer not to, you can even just write the name!

I'll keep you posted with images and progress.

Thank goodness! I had a couple days of weakness... no exercise, bad food choices, all around laziness. It's pretty amazing how much the whole lazy thing gets a hold of me! My mood is down, my to-do lists get NOTHING checked off, I'm grumpy, and I feel worthless. Well, of COURSE I feel worthless because I'm acting worthless! And if you see my first blog, I was GRUMPY and complaining about spin class!! Well, I made the monumental leap off the couch and went to spin class. It. Was. Amazing. Every time I finish the class, I am reminded of how much I love it and how much better I feel. It boosts my morale, I come home and want to eat a healthy meal, and I get motivation to get other things done, like the laundry I've been avoiding...

If you haven't taken a spin class yet, YOU SHOULD! I promise it will make you feel amazing.

Snow

I can't wait for this snow to disappear so I can start training outside!!! I like my spin classes, but there are some negatives: All the new-years-resolution gym goers have totally crowded our gym, and half the time I can't even get into a class! We can call 24 hours in advance to reserve a bike, but even then, they are sometimes full... Not to mention your in a 12'x12' room with 15 other sweaty bodies.

I'm so excited for the sun to rise earlier, the snow to clear, and the warm weather to start! Then I can ride on the open road, take in the sunshine and smells of the outdoors, and REALLY enjoy my training!

In the mean time, I did discover how much I enjoy winter runs the other day; so I guess I'll do my spin classes inside and my runs outside so that I can still get some vitamin C!