mrmacmusic
Veteran
- Location
- Tillicoultry
Having started commuting last August on a Ridgeback Flight 01 and covering 4,500 miles in that time, I'd been looking at an upgrade along the lines of a Giant Defy (e.g. 1K aluminium bike). The boss – nice man that he is 
– decided to treat me though, and I ended up with a 2012 Trek Madone 3.5C. I've always had a soft spot for Trek, and I was well chuffed to say the least 
So, today was the day – my first commute on the Madone, and it was an interesting experience! I've never had a road bike before, but I was sensible and had gone out for a quick 15 mile spin to get accustomed to it on Saturday, and make any adjustments so it was ready for this week.
I don't have a new computer fitted so I wasn't sure how fast I was travelling, but whilst the Madone was responsive, smooth and climbed better, it actually felt kinda slow... it wasn't though, as having timed the commute it clocked in at 48 minutes, that's a good 5 minutes of last week's times for the 14 miles. Weird, but good
I'm used to a triple 52/42/30 with 12-25 cassette, and spending most of my time in the middle ring. With the Madone's compact 50/34 the gearing was very different, and I suspect it'll take me a bit of getting used to. The cranks are also a touch longer (172.5mm vs 170mm on the Flight), so although the fit and riding position is spot on IMHO, my legs will also need to get used to travelling in a slightly larger arc. Coming out the saddle the Madone is a bit twitchier at the front than I'm used to as well, but is much more responsive to pedal input – something I wasn't happy about with the Flight which always felt sluggish.
One thing I do need to work on though is looking behind me... turning round to eye-ball following traffic I feel a bit unstable. Perhaps I'll get use to it, but I wear glasses and have limited movement in my neck, so turning round has always been a bit of an issue (although I always do it). I'm thinking maybe a mirror attached to my helmet might be a good idea? Yes, I'd still turn round to eyeball drivers, but I'd know without turning round first if anyone was there.
Having said all that, I still had a massive grin on my face the whole way
– decided to treat me though, and I ended up with a 2012 Trek Madone 3.5C. I've always had a soft spot for Trek, and I was well chuffed to say the least So, today was the day – my first commute on the Madone, and it was an interesting experience! I've never had a road bike before, but I was sensible and had gone out for a quick 15 mile spin to get accustomed to it on Saturday, and make any adjustments so it was ready for this week.
I don't have a new computer fitted so I wasn't sure how fast I was travelling, but whilst the Madone was responsive, smooth and climbed better, it actually felt kinda slow... it wasn't though, as having timed the commute it clocked in at 48 minutes, that's a good 5 minutes of last week's times for the 14 miles. Weird, but good
I'm used to a triple 52/42/30 with 12-25 cassette, and spending most of my time in the middle ring. With the Madone's compact 50/34 the gearing was very different, and I suspect it'll take me a bit of getting used to. The cranks are also a touch longer (172.5mm vs 170mm on the Flight), so although the fit and riding position is spot on IMHO, my legs will also need to get used to travelling in a slightly larger arc. Coming out the saddle the Madone is a bit twitchier at the front than I'm used to as well, but is much more responsive to pedal input – something I wasn't happy about with the Flight which always felt sluggish.
One thing I do need to work on though is looking behind me... turning round to eye-ball following traffic I feel a bit unstable. Perhaps I'll get use to it, but I wear glasses and have limited movement in my neck, so turning round has always been a bit of an issue (although I always do it). I'm thinking maybe a mirror attached to my helmet might be a good idea? Yes, I'd still turn round to eyeball drivers, but I'd know without turning round first if anyone was there.
Having said all that, I still had a massive grin on my face the whole way
Seriously looking forward to my ride home tonight too!
