Well, it wasn't for the lycra. I haven't had a body fit for lyrca since I was about 17. It's my 45th birthday so maybe that's reason enough?
Am I a mamil? I hope not! That rather suggests I'll give up before the bank account recovers from the shock, sell the bike and buy a Harley..
I'm getting old. I'm not fit. The gym was starting to bore me and running fecks up my knees. Besides, I like speed and getting to nice places. The bike seemed an obvious next step since I need to do something to ensure I don't get absorbed into the office desk/sofa before it's too late.
I hope it works out. I thought writing about it might help. If nobody reads it that's fine, I'll enjoy looking back to see how far I got or how soon I gave up, though I hope its the former.
Interim goals -
1) Commute to work by bike.
2) London to Brighton next year.
3) LEJOG within 3 years.
4) Round Ireland trip within 5 years.
So I decided on a Dawes Galaxy Cromo touring bike. It has a steel frame but way lighter than the steel bikes I grew up with. It is built for comfort and long distance with the benefit of being able to cope with panniers and luggage. The steel frame absorbs more vibration than the others I tried and the seating position is very comfortable with the ability to get down low when you really want to. The payoff is less rapid acceleration and more weight to drag uphill. But the gearset is well matched to this with Shimano Alivio gears, as shared with mountain bikes, and triple chainset for those difficult hills under heavy load. Also on the plus side, if this works out then I can come back to the cycle scheme next year and get that super light carbon speed machine. By then I'll have thighs of steel pushing this beast about and will absolutely fly. Or something...
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