My first road bike...

[Cyclist33]

How's it ridden so far?

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Thanks Mike

As mentioned elsewhere, I was fortunate that in this instance I was actually spending someone else's money... as a result I've ended up with more bike than I could have every afforded myself, and whilst it probably should be a Sunday best bike, I'm going to ride it every day

I only have room for two bikes, so once my Cube MTB and Ridgeback Flight are sold (on eBay right now, see Auctions Forum), I'm planning on replacing them with something in-between the two – i.e. not as fast as the Flight or as chunky as the Cube. This N+1-2+1 bike will more than likely become the bike that gets used for commuting in the coming months when the weather gets really foul (if that's even possible!?) and/or the ice and snow appear.

Good man, the mudguards are a wise choice, the bike is very nice and there's no reason you can't ride it when you want.

 

[mrmacmusic]

How's it ridden so far?

Smooth, and responsive... absolutely love it! Going uphill is a revelation compared to the Flight

I'm still getting used to the different gear ratios though, but now that I've picked up a Garmin 500 I've got some speed and cadence feedback which I think will be very useful.

 

[mrmacmusic]

Good man, the mudguards are a wise choice, the bike is very nice and there's no reason you can't ride it when you want.

Cheers Some folks have said I'm mad, but I really don't see anything wrong with riding it every day either.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

I've had this conundrum in the past, had a dedicated winter bike and found that, like most people who live in England, it's just as likely to piss down with rain in the 'summer' anyway! The plan is this year to not go out in all weathers, but rain and my best bike aren't incompatible by any means. The first Sportive I ever did for which, like any rider, I wanted my best bike, you guessed it... it lashed down. So much for a summer bike.

I don't ride in icy conditions and if there's one thing to warn of, and you probably know it already, it's grit salt on the roads - it will mess no end with your drive-train so unless you have to ride in it, don't. This is where a road bike as a commuter is a good thing IMO and though I don't commute myself, I understand the dedication of a bike to commuting, that makes sense.

When the weather is that poor I use the indoor turbo and for that I do have a separate bike because I like a session most days.

All the best mate.

 

[mrmacmusic]

I've had this conundrum in the past, had a dedicated winter bike and found that, like most people who live in England, it's just as likely to **** down with rain in the 'summer' anyway! The plan is this year to not go out in all weathers, but rain and my best bike aren't incompatible by any means. The first Sportive I ever did for which, like any rider, I wanted my best bike, you guessed it... it lashed down. So much for a summer bike.

Summer? What's that?! Geographically, I'm a touch further North than you, and the weather is so unpredictable I've just come to accept that it's probably going to rain if the day has a "y" in it, and that neither me nor my precious bike will actually melt

I didn't do any Sportives in 2012, but hope to bag my first century in 2013 – I've only been commuting for 14 months, and built up to 5 days a week over the first few months, but quite happy with the 140 miles or so I do each week for now

I don't ride in icy conditions and if there's one thing to warn of, and you probably know it already, it's grit salt on the roads - it will mess no end with your drive-train so unless you have to ride in it, don't. This is where a road bike as a commuter is a good thing IMO and though I don't commute myself, I understand the dedication of a bike to commuting, that makes sense.

Well, I don't plan to ride the Trek in icy conditions. Last Winter I took an enforced break – I got quite ill in November, after which my wife wanted me to give commuting a break until the better weather. In the end, it wasn't as severe a Winter as the previous year, and I was back commuting full time in February, and had been out over the Christmas holidays and January for a few long runs, slotting in a few commutes when it was above freezing. I made sure to keep on top of the post-ride cleaning and weekly servicing so salt didn't wreck my drivetrain... I'll be sure to be doubly-diligent with the Trek maintenance!

The crisp, fresh, frosty mornings were enjoyable though, and I was only caught out with ice once... wheel-spinning the Flight up a slope was an interesting experience that I don't want to repeat on the Trek. I reckon I could only be lucky enough to get away with that and stay shiny side up once

 

[Dajoker188]

Sweet bike, love the colour scheme. Damn you spell check it is Colour! not color. Britain ftw

 

[mrmacmusic]

Sweet bike, love the colour scheme. Damn you spell check it is Colour! not color. Britain ftw

Cheers I'm rather fond of the colour scheme myself!