Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Runputt Bikes?

It only took several months (5 to be precise) of searching, ordering, and waiting, but the day after BayState I finally picked up my new bike.  And here it is...

No, I'm just fucking with you, I really don't have a spare 9 grand to spend on a bike.  I got the DA's baby sister, the 2011 Felt B16!

She may not be as glamorous as the DA, but she is one sexy bitch.

And boy, can she ride!  The first thing I noticed when I took her out for her maiden ride was that this bike was built for speed.  Even though I was wobbling all over the road as I tried to get accustomed to the aero bars I was surprised at how easy it was to ride.  I was so used to pushing a heavy mountain bike along that it suddenly felt like there was any effort needed at all.  Weighing only 20 lbs made it easy to get up to speed fast and on one downhill I was shocked to find that I was pushing past 35mph!  Any faster and they'd be giving me a speeding ticket.

Naturally though, there are some things that are going to take a bit of getting used to.  Obviously my riding position has completely changed from an upright angle to a much more aero position and this will take a bit to get comfortable with.  I've also found going uphills takes a lot more effort; I'm not sure if it is just a perception issue but it seems to be harder to get up the big hills with this bike.  Maybe it is the change in position that accounts for it.  Another thing I'm not too happy with is that I've only put 70 miles on it and already I've thrown a chain and gotten a flat (thank God I had the foresight to buy a CO2 pump).  While technically both issue were my fault (too aggressive on the shifting and didn't see the debris in the road) it is annoying.  Other than those things the bike is a dream; although the new saddle position makes for some sore areas after 30 miles.

I'll be bringing it back to Landry's, where Andy did a great job fitting me, for some final tweaks soon and then it's back on the road before the snow hits.  So far I'm having fun on it and adapting well to the new riding style.  The one thing that I have definitely noticed about the bike is that it is in no way a touring bike; I hardly even notice what I am riding by since my focus is constantly sighted straight in front of me.  I could blow by Danny Glover fighting the Predator with backup support from President Obama and I wouldn't even notice.  I would not recommend this bike for slow rides in the countryside, it is all about speed.

For those of you tech geeks that care about this sort of thing, here are some measurements (sorry for the low quality pics).  Let me know if you think there is room for improvement, I'm sure there is.


2 comments:

  1. Very nice. I love the green accent.

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  2. Eventually you can get lower... but it's good for now. I'm glad you are in love! She's a beauty? or is it a he?

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