After many months of waiting, my new road bike is finally here. She is the Terry Isis, named after the Egyptian goddess which is translated to mean queen of the throne. You can check out the specs on the bike at the Terry website. It is a nice set up from what I understand and most importantly, she is nice to look at much like my mechanic.
She arrived on Monday but had to sit in the box until our bike shop owner Dan-the-man could put her together. I ordered her in December so it has been a true test of my patience especially since my mechanics new road bike got here about a month ago.
When we arrived at the bike shop I walked in and saw her for the first time and thought to myself "she sure is a cute little bike". She really is small, which is good cos so am I. The part I am having the hardest time getting used to is the front tire being so much smaller than the rear. It just looks so strange but I guess that is to help with the standover height. The other funny thing is the bars, they are super small. They are Salsa brand Short and Shallow, I am sure that doesn't mean anything - I am not shallow, really I am not.
Last night we rushed home to get her ready for her maiden voyage. We had to put the cleats on my new road shoes, install the computer, take off the dorky ass reflectors, etc. Then we were off. It was a chilly evening at about 50 degrees and we only had about an hour of daylight left and were both wearing shorts. We headed up to Lakeview and did a quick 12.5 mile loop.
It was funny cos Brent was trying to give me tips on how to climb efficiently and what not and I was struggling with just understanding just how to shift! I have to be honest, I expected my road bike to fly up Lakeview but did not realize that the gearing is totally different than my mountain bike. I was expecting a granny gear - the road bike's granny gear is about the middle ring on my Stumpy. Luckily the Isis is light as a feather so it helps to equalize it (I guess). I am also not at all used to using my arms to stabilize the bike while you are out of the saddle. The first time I stood up to sprint, I thought I was going down! By the end of the ride, I was getting the hang of it and it felt great. I also had to learn how to use my new Speedplay lite action pink pedals- which by the way, I love.
Bottom line, it is not just like riding a bike. I have much to learn about this type of riding but am so looking forward to the journey...
5 comments:
May your journey be rubber side down! Congrats on the new steed. Bummer you need to carry two different sized tubes, though.
Yay! It's about time!
I think one of the problems with bigger wheels on small frames is toe overlap. A bigger wheel is more likely to bump your foot when turning at slower speeds. Having the big wheel in back is good though, since it doesn't throw off your gear ratios!
Finally the Easter Bunny brought something other than candy.... She's a beauty!
Great paint.
yay! it's cute!
i love looking at those Terry bikes in the catalog. they're so nice to look at.
and the pedals! nice accessorizing, i must say.
have fun with it.
Post a Comment