Trek 2100
Today, I went to Bicycle Outfitter to test ride a brand new Trek 1500. Since my 520 isn’t getting repaired anytime soon, my lawyer and I agreed that I should add a bike to my stable, so that I can get back on the road. Buying a hot new light road bike was the order of the day.
The 1500 was on the order of 15 pounds lighter than my 520. That’s 40% lighter. I gave it a stomp up Foothill Expressway about 11 miles down and back (in total, not each way). When I stood up to sprint, the 1500 was all over the bike lane. My legs were easily able to throw it all over the place and it really felt unstable (not even to mention the fact that this model had exposed screws on the headseat which scratched my thigh).
Mark mentioned the 2100, so I decided to take that for a spin. I was a little winded from the 11 mile sprint (after 3 months off the bike after the crash). This time, I headed up the expressway and made my U-Turn at El Monte (about 3.6 miles total). The 2100 has much better components, is another pound lighter, and feels rock solid when I stand up. After thinking about it for a few seconds, I tossed caution to the wind and said, “I’ll take it.”
After buying a new helmet (Giro Monza!), bottle mounts, and other accessories, and an extra mount for the Mity-8 cyclometer, I loaded the bike onto the bike rack and headed home. I had to steal the SPD pedals off my old hybrid, mounted the bottles, and then noticed that I don’t have a magnet that would let me use my cyclometer. So, it looks like I’ll take another trip to the shop tomorrow, to get a blinky red light and a magnet for my cyclometer.
What am I going to be able to do on this 20 pound road bike? I can’t wait to find out.
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