Velo

I have had a much better riding summer than I've had in years--maybe ever since I got the bike.  I never did name the thing, which is a shame.  It has served me well in many respects, especially seeing as I have had no racing or triathlon ambitions . . . I just want to ride, and feel like I'm getting better at it over time.  The difference this year has been that I actually had an exercise program over the winter and came to the warmer months far more ready to ride than ever before.  I also made some upgrades on the bike that seem to have helped.  I'm going faster and farther.

Which brings me to today's 30-mile ride. At about halfway, I started to get frustrated because the bike just felt sluggish.  It may have been me, but my legs felt plenty fine and I wasn't having a hard time catching my breath.  It seemed like the bike just didn't want to go when I pushed it.  I have noticed this year, perhaps because of my increased strength or perhaps because I'm imagining it, that I feel more "give" in the bike when I'm really pushing hard.

Is this why people eventually upgrade their whole machine? I'm not in the market for a bike (especially since we just bought one for The Runner), and I have no desire to get on some overbuilt pro-level job. But if I keep feeling like it just doesn't want to get up and go when I want it to, I'll be more and more apt to start looking for a new one.  There are only about a couple hundred options out there...and they'll be happy to take my money.