So, it finally happened.
It was bound to eventually. Only as a result of necessity mind. I had a New Bike Day.
I have been riding a rim brake bike with mechanical gearing in an old race position, largely unchanged save for some tiny tweaks, for over 15 years. In that time three key things have happened. I have gotten older. I have gotten less fit. I have stopped racing.
I did well I think. Up until covid I was in reasonably good shape, able to sustain that position over many hours and could – on a good day – keep the youngsters honest, at least in a sprint.
But times are changing. My riding now is less defined by dick-waving in the final throes of a club ride or schooling the audacity of youth. Now it’s more about re-discovering the love of cycling, for cycling’s sake. The reason most of us get on a bicycle in the first place. Obviously the thrill of speed remains – but it’s tempered by the inelasticity of age and the all too real threat of permanent injury and extended recovery times.
These days my cycling is about enjoyment of my surrounds, time with friends and the cake is usually iced with trips to the high mountains for spectacular views, camaraderie and introspection.
It was the most recent excursion as well as the threat of another in short order (that is, missing the usual 3+ year delay before deciding to do it again) that is the reason for pulling the pin on a new whip.
Last year I visited the Dolomites, riding unsupported, point-to-point from Venice to Milan. The overriding lesson from that trip – aside from the fact that I was (and remain) too heavy for the mountains given my relative lack of fitness – is that I can no longer expect to be comfortable on a bike position that is both historic and geared for racing. Honestly, it was a rude awakening.
For the first time ever in my cycling career – I got off my bike and didn’t finish what I set out to complete. The penultimate ride of the trip – a descent fortunately – was marred by an inability to sit down and the enduring discomfort of numbness. Everywhere. A numbness that had made the ascent of the legendary Stelvio, an hour longer than it should have been, and a cold wait for mi amigos at the summit.
Suffice to say I did not want to experience that feeling again : not because I felt shame – but because it was fucking painful!
(I can reconcile climbing off my bike quite easily: such decisions should not be viewed as failures. They are tests of your mentals: while a younger me may have ‘sucked it up’ and hurt myself further for a final day in the saddle and bragging rights; the older, wiser and less concerned me, was thankful for additional cold beers and a soft seat on an Italian train. The mountains aren’t going anywhere.)
And neither do I have to. Fortunately I have spent several years in the trade and have 2 excellent bike fitters working with me. I’m not blind to the need to adapt, as many others often seem to be – their denial of their limitations juxtaposed with the data and advice provided by a good fitter! I know for example, that to be fast you have to be comfortable. For short distances sure, you can tolerate some pain and discomfort in the pursuit of gains. But for the most part – and for most of us – comfort is king.
With the threat of another trip this year – to the Pyrenees no less – it was apparent that a few things were going to have to switch up quickly. Firstly I needed to lose weight and train, and secondly, I would need a bike that I could actually ride comfortably. (Also thirdly, our rides would be loops! We would not be riding point-to-point and shoving 6 additional kilos on our bikes every day – or paying a concierge to drive our packs 50miles to the next hotel when we decide we can’t possibly haul our kit another vertical meter.)
Up to now I have resisted the temptations of electronic gearing and disc brakes – not because I don’t like them – but because I simply didn’t / don’t need them. Perhaps then, it is serendipitous that at this particular juncture in my cycling career and the position within the industry, coupled with my reduced flexibility and relatively awkward physiology – that my options are limited!
Informed entirely by my fit (weight, relative lack of fitness, busted back and shoulders!) and revised cycling approach (smoother fast, more endurance focus), I managed, quite quickly, to narrow my bike selection to two brands and models.
Both the Cannondale SuperSix (a personal favourite and a bike I have had dalliances with in the past) and the new Basso Diamante, have near identical position and both have been well received. But here’s the kicker. The Basso – aside from being 100% made in Italy and a little less well known, is a full £1000 cheaper. It also appealed to me because it has classic lines that in no way impede it’s performance. I like classic. I like different. I like Italian…… and I like an extra £1000 in my pocket – or indeed, in the shape of upgraded CADEX wheels.
So it is then, that I have enjoyed my first New Bike Day in sometime (my last being rather overshadowed by the theft of my then dream bike). It’s a palpably different experience from before and one I have enjoyed, mainly because the machine I am now on is so far removed from those that came previously, but also as it reminds me of the key reason for doing my job – the joy (and benefit) that a new bike can bring to both the body and mind – not least in the form of motivation.
I’ll be honest, while I do like a clean looking bike, I’m not in love with the electronic shifting – yet. But I have an appreciation of the discs. I would have torn off your legs for a set during an Alps trip a few years back, a brakes-on full descent in a torrential storm requiring some big-brass-balls and plenty of concentration! The biggest boon though, is the comfort of the wider tyres married to the carefully laid-up frame. The reduction in road noise from just an additional 3mm of rubber (I’ve been limited to 23 and 25mm for years) is marked and makes for a more enjoyable, less distracting ride that needs to be ridden to be appreciated.
Training is going well. Not eating what I want when I want and drinking less – not so much, but I can switch that off if I really want.
Perhaps, with just 5 weeks before I hit the hills, I should do that now….
