Tonight my daughter and I went to a sporting store and I bought a bike!!! Unfortunately, they didn't have it in stock. But, it should be at the store on Friday. So, I'll pick up my new bike on Friday.
A few weeks ago, I spent at least an hour talking to one of the sales people. She taught me quite a bit about bikes and how to buy one. And, I ended up going with her recommendation (based on what I said I wanted the bike for - sprint tris and possible longer distances later). I bought the same bike that she bought 8 months ago!
On to the lesson...
My saleslady went over all of this, but I also found a great video (actually part of a series of videos) by Googling "derailleurs how to buy a bike". The videos feature Eric of Spin City Cycling in Austin, Texas. You can try the link HERE.
You have two derailleurs on your geared bicycle. They move the chains up and down the cogs when you shift gears. The most common manufacturer of derailleurs is a company called Shimano. There are 5 levels of quality. As you go up in quality, they derailleurs have a lower weight and perform slightly better.
The levels are (these are the notes I got at the store):
Sora - entry level
Tiagra - slightly better
105 - good mid level components & price
Ultegra - excelleng quality, weight & performance
Dura Ace - superior, usually found on $3,000+ road bikes
The rear derailleurs is usually the nicest piece of equipment on a bike. It is where you do most of your shifting. The front derailleur is often a step down in quality from the rear derailleur.
After looking at the various road bikes, my sales lady recommended one that had a 105 rear derailleur and one with an Ultegra rear derailleur. I ended up paying more and getting the Ultegra.
I do have a 30 day return policy, which helps a little! It's kind of stressful buying a bike after so many years! And, I can actually get store credit for 90 days. I don't plan on returning it, but it is nice to know I can if it doesn't work out!
I hope to share photos in just a few days! I can't wait to start riding!!!
Also, I am new to this, so please let me know if I made any mistakes! I'm just trying ot pass along what I've been learning.
(Countdown: 178 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's workout: briskly walked for 30 minutes while daughter rode bike)
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