Saturday I went out for a run with Tien from work. I got out there a little before 8 and decided to run 2 miles before she got there. She just recently started running so I figured if I ran early I could get in something at my pace and then when she arrived I could run a bit more at her pace. All told I ran 4 miles.
I've been helping my old gym buddy at work price and shop for a bike. I told him he could get something a lot better if he used the resources he had available (Don, Mike, and I) to get a better bike for the amount of money he's willing to spend at a bike shop. I gave him my old Velomax (now Easton) wheel set that's been lying around the closet since I started riding. Reselling it wouldn't have given me hardly anything for them and I'd rather someone new to riding get a good solid wheelset that will last. Next up on the list is a frame. I obviously like Leader's frames. I have their now extinct 717R frame which has given me over 7000 miles in the past 2 years without ever a problem. I found out when I spoke with the guys at Leader that the 717R frame is discontinued because they are going away from aluminum and working with hydro-formed steel. Cyclists in the past have loved steel frames because of their rigity and comfort but not until the past few years have we seen a comback being made with the metal. Long ago, steel was cast aside because of wieght and carbon fiber came into the picture because it's lightwieght and strong. Over the years, metallurgy and technology have given steel a comback kick with wieght comparible to aluminum and the comfort and strength equalling carbon fiber at a fraction of the cost. So, it seems Leader will be using steel in at least one of their frames. I didn't inquire about more models but I would imagine this might be the case in more than just one frame.
I started asking about available sizes in other road frames and they all seem to be slim pickings. A 53 cm frame just happens to be one of the more common sizes. Sal did tell me he had a single carbon fiber frame left in 53 cm. I knew the retail price of the frame and knew it to exceed the budget. He offered it to me for roughly 25% of the retail cost, below even his cost. Of course that was a deal that couldn't be passed up...$1550 frame for $380??? Umm...hello!
Well as it turns out, Gary won't be taking the new frame but will take my current 717R frame instead. This means I get the new frame which I'm completely and totally stoked about! I hope to have the frame in hand tomorrow. I'll definately take pics before and after.
Considering my success on the TT bike out in Piru over the past year and successes over the past 9 months in the duathlons, I shot Sal and Leader an email after noticing they have an unfinished sponsored athlete page. Not knowing how to write an email for something like that I simply thanked him for the deal on the frame, mentioned the sponsorship page, and gave a simple rundown of my duathlon and Piru results. I figure, it can't hurt right? I've already talked to people on the phone that left their number on my car asking to speak with me about the TT frame, etc. So we'll see what comes of that.
Sunday I went out riding with Alex. We put in 70 miles. It was a discomforting day in the saddle. Over the last 20 miles I found myself dancing on the pedals A LOT because it was a heck of a lot more comfortable. I need to keep the longer rides up in preparation for Tucson. Problem is, duathlons interfere on the weekends. =P
I do have the Camarillo Du this Sunday. It's the longest Du I've done since Camp Pendleton. I think it matches the length of Camp Pendleton. It's a 5k run, 40k bike, 5k run. It's supposed to be another flat fast course so hopefully I can carry my success on the bike over the runners from 2 weekends ago. Lord knows you can lose on the run so easily and it's my one weakness (to the other the pure runners) that so far, I've managed to limit any lack of success. *Fingers crossed*
No comments:
Post a Comment