DH gets HUGE TV, I get 2nd Bike - Advise pls.

[Idahospud]

We went shopping on father's day and came home with a 60 inch TV that cost $3,500.

I have been riding a Giant OCR 2 since March and have put 500 miles on it already. I am beginning to think I didn't get enough bike (I have thought this before the TV purchase) I paid $700 for my bike. My DH said that I was more than welcome to spend more and get a better bike. Now I am really thinking

What advantages is there to a carbon frame vs aluminum frame other than weight?
Are there advantages to double crank over triple crank?

I generally ride alone. I do most rides in the 20-30 mile range and plan on doing one or two organized century rides per year, plus the trainig to get me ready.

I don't feel like I can go as fast as I should for the amount of energy that I am spending to get faster. I am not wimping out but think it may be more the bike than me. I average 16-18 miles per hour on a 10 mile ride and am pretty pooped for a couple of days after I ride two days consecutively.

Thanks for advice on these issues.
Any great bike suggestions would be welcome, too. I like my Giant because of the relaxed geometry but the more I ride, the less this is an issue for me.

When I rode my first metric century, I could not believe the speed of some of the riders. I know that I am new, but could it be my bike or is it more training?

 

[daveryanwyoming]

....... I am not wimping out but think it may be more the bike than me. I average 16-18 miles per hour on a 10 mile ride and am pretty pooped for a couple of days after I ride two days consecutively..... I know that I am new, but could it be my bike or is it more training?

It's not the bike. No disrespect intended but the bike doesn't make the time. I'm still riding and racing a 1986 full steel frame that weighs in over 20 pounds without bottles or pump and patch kit. I'm no superstar rider and never really have been with a lot of top 10 to 15 but very few top three places in races. But I do train a lot and train consistently and finish 100 milers with average speeds hovering around 20 mph. That's years of training, not the bike I'm riding.

If you've got the discretionary funds for a new bike then fine, but don't expect any dramatic breakthroughs based on a few pounds of frame weight or some tricky ultra-light components. You might see a small boost at first just from the pyschological value of getting a new steed but there's no shortcuts to developing fitness and that's what will help you go faster. Stick with it, train steadily and sensibly (I assume you've been surfing these forums for training thoughts), pay attention to rest and what you eat and you'll get faster.

Good luck,
Dave
P.S. How did the Boy Scout ride go?

 

[LeDomestique]

Agree...it's not the bike. It never is, unless you're riding a pre-1950's rusted iron piece of junk.

Best advise would be to join a group. You'll ride more often and push yourself harder (otherwise you'll be dropped).

When you've mastered the group ride....get a new bike!

 

[Skoorb]

Dave is right. That bike is good enough that it's not markedly holding you back. A $3k bike would be a bit lighter (giving virtually no benefits on flats, and not terribly substantial on hills), shift a bit better, roll a bit better...a lot of slight betters, but in the big picture, not a huge difference.

I have beaten many people on much nicer bikes than I have simply because of riding style (cadence high; most people have theirs too low) and most importantly because of training. Put miles in. Do hill repeats. Do time trials, all of these will make you faster. If you gave me your bike now and I put clip-on aero bars onto it I could get top 10% in a sprint triathlon bike split. I know that, because it's better than the bike I've done that with in the last two races this season.

The one case in which a better bike would help more substantially is if you bought a tri or time-trial bike, but since you're only riding alone and doing a couple of centuries, that doesn't make much sense.

If you are dying to burn money, you could look at a $900 Power Tap

 

[Idahospud]

Hi. Thanks for all of your advice. I really wanted to hear that a new bike would make me one speedy woman - NOT the training but really knew better.

LeDomestique - I like the advice to join a group - I will have to travel to do this or start a group of my own. I think that I am the only female cyclist in my town and DH isn't too keen with me hanging out with men - he's great to look out for me. I think that he will have a new bike by this fall and all of the problems will be solved.

Dave - The scout ride has been moved to late September and we've nailed down Sun Valley to Belleview bike path as the route - it is beautiful, especailly in the fall. I have become the area merit badge counselor for cycling - pretty funny considering that I just started riding not so long ago.

I wanted to thank you for letting me in on the Little Red Riding Hood ride in Utah. That was such a kick in the pants. I loved it. Your encouragement was great.

Skoorb - what is a $900 Power Tap - completely clueless here

Thanks again and sorry for the late reply - we've been putting in a sprinkler system - BUSY work!!

 

[Skoorb]

A power tap is something that takes place of the rear-hub or goes into it (I've not checked, as I am not going to buy one any time soon!) and measures your direct output in watts so that you can get a true indication of the power you're putting to the rear wheel. it's a nice, though expensive, training tool.

 

[jhuskey]

"Power Tap is a state-of-the-art training system that allows you to measure in real time the intensity of the work you are doing on the bike. Unlike heart rate, the measurement of power is not effected by environmental or biological factors like heat, humidity, fatigue, stress, dehydration, altitude or illness. Power (measured in watts) is the purest measure of the work you are doing and therefore is the most accurate method of regulating intensity every time you train or compete".

A new bike will not necessarily make you better but if it makes you feel better and you can afford it, why not?
The mental aspect is aways the hardest to conquer.