THE PERFECT BIKE FOR YOU.

Preparing for my upcoming trip to Tucson, and a visit with Fe-Lady, who was kind enough to set me up with an appointment at TriSports for a bike fitting, I remembered that I needed to bring my bike shoes. I haven't seen them since my accident, so wasn't sure where they might be.

I finally found them among the cobwebs in the basement in a hospital bag, along with my bike gloves and a pretty mangled looking pair of socks. My shoes are old, probably almost 10 years old, so I figured I would get a new pair when I got a new bike. I haven't been using them for spinning classes because I basically forgot about them, and rarely used them before. Transferring them from the hospital bag to a plastic grocery bag, I noticed one was totally cracked on the bottom! That was the one that did not unclip on impact. In fact, my last memory before losing consciousness was seeing my shoe attached to my bike pedal, and realizing I wasn't on the bike. Surreal. I also examined the clips and noticed one was totally worn off and the other was rusted. Hmm. I guess I will go look for another pair now rather than wait until I get to Tucson.

So after work Friday, I headed to the LBS. Dale, the owner of this and the other named shops in the area, was there, and came over to greet me. I showed him my shoes, and we again had a discussion about my accident, what happened, what injuries I sustained, etc. (Dale has a terrible memory.) We had this same discussion in February when I first went in to look at bikes, and again earlier this month when I called to ask a question about bike fitting, etc. While talking, he looked at me, sizing me up it seemed, and finally said, "I think I have the perfect bike for you. Have you had our custom fit yet?" No, not yet. I was reluctant to tell him about my appointment next week in Tucson, but finally did say that I was going to be on vacation and had this planned.

He told me then that the bike he had in mind probably was perfect sizing for me, based on measurements he had taken for the person intended, and we appeared very close in size and build. Basically, I figured he wanted to push the bike, since the person had backed out on the deal. But of course he would not sell it to me without the custom fit first. Naturally, I was intrigued about this bike, but torn about how to handle the situation. I finally asked him how long it would take and how much it would cost, He told me then that it would only take "about an hour" and if, in fact, I purchased the bike he had in mind, he would waive the fee for the fitting. Whew, how do you turn down an offer like that?

So, three hours later, the fitting finally was done, he gets the bike, and yes, it is a perfect fit. It was as if the bike was made for me, waiting for me to show up and claim it. By now, it was dark out, and he wondered if I wanted to ride it. I said of course, but not tonight. I was tired and beat up from the whole experience, and just wanted to go home. So he offered to have it set up for me on Saturday so I could come back and test it. The bike in question is a Serotta. I only know one person who rides a Serotta, so know nothing about the bikes. The shop specializes also in Specialized and Giant, but after a review from Don when he tried out a couple of Specialized bikes last fall, I was convinced I did not want a Specialized. Nothing else to base my opinion on. But Serotta never came up in discussion.

When I mentioned the Serotta to Don later, he asked what model. Model? I can't remember. I didn't ride it, and I didn't look at it that much. So I went to the bikeshop web site and attempted to find the bike, only to be directed to the actual Serotta site from the link. I still was not sure about the model, and since no prices were listed, I really couldn't make any judgment on it. Don said that Kim's bike was $3700. OMG! There is no way I want to spend that kind of money for a bike, even if I had it. I then automatically figured it was too much bke for me.

I did go to the bike shop Saturday, and Don came along. He knows quite a bit about componentry and the like, so he was going to check it out. He already figured if it was a Serotta it would be good.

I was a little nervous about getting on a bike, particularly since the traffic around the bike shop is some of the worst in the area, and being a Saturday it was likely to be even worse. But Idid it, and just rode around the parking lot. I could not get clipped in on the left shoe, so likely some adjustment would have to be made. But of course the bike was a dream. Lightweight. Responsive. But what do I know?? I have been riding a low end road bike that never fit me right for 7 years, so anything above that would be wonderful. And I as much told the guy at the shop. After finding out the price <$3,000>, I knew I couldn't make that decision that day.

First, this whole thing has been a whirlwind. I wasn't expecting to go through all this right now. While I am anxious to get moving on a bike, this wasn't what I expected to have to make a decision about right now, right before my upcoming trip. Second, the price thing of course is hard to take. It would be a luxury I, someone born guilt ridden and who feels generally non-deserving, would have a hard time justifying to myself, if no one else. And the price would not include aero bars, a computer, or pedals! Yikes. What to do, what to do? I know Serotta is a good name, an excellent bike, and as the bike shop guy put it, probably the last bike I would ever need to buy. But still...

How I left it then was, I am going on vacation. I will get back to you when I get back. (If I lose out on the fit deal, oh well. Of course I had to pay for that then.) I figure this will give me a chance to try out some bikes at TriSport, particularly since I have the fit out of the way, and they can use those specs to find something that might work. If I like what I find, of course I will make a purchase. So there, I've decided.

One thing to point out, the decision on whether I should go tri bike or road bike was pretty much spelled out for me clearly by the specs from the fitting. Because of my past injuries and limitations from the injuries, they (this bike shop) did not have a tri bike that would accommodate me, which was why the Serotta road bike came into play and surprisingly was a perfect fit. The Serotta has an adjustable top tube, allowing it to be brought up a little higher to accommodate my shoulder/neck problems. Whether there are any other bike makes out there that can accommodate this limitation remains to be seen. That is what I am hoping to explore while in Tucson.

The rest of the weekend was a busy blur, due to the bike shop detour. Three hours Friday night and another two on Saturday put me behind the schedule I had planned on for the weekend. The weather was glorious, and I did manage to get in a 6.5 mile run Sunday without too much trauma to my foot. The rest of the day then was spent getting my hair done (at my sister's who is a hair stylist), discussing family business (selling my dad's car, dealing with his house, dealilng with my brother, etc.), picking up the grandkids for lunch/dinner while their mom worked, and working a few hours as well to get caught up on last minute details before my trip. So it was late by the time I got home and to bed Sunday night.

I know I will not be ready when the time comes to get on the plane, but I want to get as many things out of the way as I can so I can clear my mind and relax some. Not sure how I will post to my blog while gone, because I am NOT bringing my old, clunky laptop this time, but I'll figure something out.