I am so happy to see the original post. Seriously, I have been saying this for a very long time. I don't have a lot of money by any means. But my first bike was probably the lowest model Specialized ever made and I called it "Miss Kitty" because it constantly sounded like there was a cat stuck in the gears. But Miss Kitty helped me drop 100 lbs. in a year and she got me in better physical condition than I have ever been in (probably because it took a lot to get that puppy up any incline at all, like I was riding straight up the side of a mountain, but it was just my driveway). I have accepted odd looks from other cyclists and the **** talking at the shops. Fine. But I spent a very long time saving up the money to buy Miss Kitty and I was VERY proud of her.
My newest isn't much better, according to the rest of the world. It's a Trek 7300. And I got it by trading Miss Kitty out to my dad. The Trek was his and was built more for what I am currently doing. Miss Kitty didn't react well to 20 mile rides on dirt paths. My father, on the other hand, is a very casual rider who does maybe 5 miles at a time because he has a heart condition and is, pretty much, just trying to keep it beating. So I gave him Miss Kitty and he gave me his Trek. I am VERY proud of my Trek. Compared to Miss Kitty, this thing is a little slice of heaven. It doesn't sound like it wants to die every time we surpass the 10 mile point and hardly makes a single sound. The gears actually shift without bucking my feet off the pedals. Getting up an incline isn't the act of God it was on Miss Kitty. So to me, this Trek 7300 is all that and a bag of chips.
Of course, I go to the bike shop to have the bike serviced (dad didn't do regular maintenance, so we were in for a check up that cost some cash) and they make comments about "entry level" and flat out told me I needed to trade my "junker" for something that can do what I am asking this one to. My "junker" is doing just fine with what I am asking it to do. And when I brought it in I'd just come in out of a thunder storm I'd done half my ride in, with about 3 inches of grit coating it and myself and it didn't seem to care much.
I can't afford - nor do I need - a $4000 bike. It doesn't stop me from admiring them while in the shop and maybe dreaming just a little. But the fact that my bike isn't a $4000 bike doesn't make it a "junker." I don't ride to compete. I ride for weight loss, general fitness, and because I love it. I don't think I could even properly care for a $4000 bike. I hate to admit it, but short of poking it with a stick, I'm not real sure how to fix anything on my bike. And considering I was so happy to actually hit 22 miles with double knee injuries and a bad back, I don't think I'm ready for the Tour de France just yet. I just want to ride. And I'm going to do what I can with what I have because it is what I can afford and it suits me just fine.
My newest isn't much better, according to the rest of the world. It's a Trek 7300. And I got it by trading Miss Kitty out to my dad. The Trek was his and was built more for what I am currently doing. Miss Kitty didn't react well to 20 mile rides on dirt paths. My father, on the other hand, is a very casual rider who does maybe 5 miles at a time because he has a heart condition and is, pretty much, just trying to keep it beating. So I gave him Miss Kitty and he gave me his Trek. I am VERY proud of my Trek. Compared to Miss Kitty, this thing is a little slice of heaven. It doesn't sound like it wants to die every time we surpass the 10 mile point and hardly makes a single sound. The gears actually shift without bucking my feet off the pedals. Getting up an incline isn't the act of God it was on Miss Kitty. So to me, this Trek 7300 is all that and a bag of chips.
Of course, I go to the bike shop to have the bike serviced (dad didn't do regular maintenance, so we were in for a check up that cost some cash) and they make comments about "entry level" and flat out told me I needed to trade my "junker" for something that can do what I am asking this one to. My "junker" is doing just fine with what I am asking it to do. And when I brought it in I'd just come in out of a thunder storm I'd done half my ride in, with about 3 inches of grit coating it and myself and it didn't seem to care much.
I can't afford - nor do I need - a $4000 bike. It doesn't stop me from admiring them while in the shop and maybe dreaming just a little. But the fact that my bike isn't a $4000 bike doesn't make it a "junker." I don't ride to compete. I ride for weight loss, general fitness, and because I love it. I don't think I could even properly care for a $4000 bike. I hate to admit it, but short of poking it with a stick, I'm not real sure how to fix anything on my bike. And considering I was so happy to actually hit 22 miles with double knee injuries and a bad back, I don't think I'm ready for the Tour de France just yet. I just want to ride. And I'm going to do what I can with what I have because it is what I can afford and it suits me just fine.
