Our bikes
(All pictures can be clicked for a larger image in a separate window)
My Bicycle from 1972. I started riding my bicycle again for fitness during the fall of 2002.
|
|
|
Since most of the components were the same from the early 70's, a few things wore out that needed to be replaced.
My shoes from 1974 had ripped down the sides. Today's shoes did not accept my nail on cleats and the technology had gone to Clipless peddles. Changing to this technology required a change of pedals as well and I chose the Coombe pedals.
 |
 |
 |
The leather/plastic Unicanitor saddle began to crack, so now I'm trying this gel padded one. It's a bit lighter than my old one, but still hard on the rear end after 1.5 hours. I doubt that it will hold up as long as my original saddle.
 |
 |
I've changed the shifters from the downtube to the brake levers and also added some computers. A wired one for monitoring speed, cadence, and distance, and a wireless one that measures heartrate, times, calories, altitude, temperature and can download everything to the computer.
 |
 |
 |
 |
A major factor to improve speed is the aerodynamics of the wheels and I found a pair of Rolf Vector Pro's on sale.
These wheels have paired, bladed spokes with 14 spokes in the front wheel and 16 in the rear.
The rims are a deep dish for aerodynamics.
They're also about half a pound lighter than my 36 spoke wheels.
They are faster, but not comfortable on bumpy roads.
I only use them occasionally so far, for those times when I may need a little extra speed with stronger riders.
I'm still using my rear Campagnolo deraileur. The brakes are the cheap Weinmann 500's that I filed smooth and had anodized; probably the lightest brakes still available.
 |
 |
I considered racing in 2003, but the broken collar bone in October of 2002 (where a dog knocked me down while riding) and a hernia surgery in late March of 2003, put some brakes on my development. I still would have needed more time as I'm still not sure if will be competitive for the 2004 season. However, it's still a goal to keep me focused and striving to improve. I'm getting stronger and faster, but I know I'm not where I would like to be. On the plus side, I've lost 40 pounds in less than a year and my resting heart rate is in the 40's and a maximum heart rate in the 190's.