Old and New

I got a new road bike! It was surprisingly harder than I thought to pick one out too. When you get to a certain price range the bikes are all very similar. I test rode the final two, a Trek and Specialized, and went with the Trek. I haven't been home or had enough time to get a good 30-40 intro ride on it, but that will change this week hopefully.

I had a 1985 Peugeot with a steel frame, down-tube shifters, standard double crankset in the front, and a 6 speed cassette (gears) in the back. The Peugeot was approximately 24.5 lbs. I put on new handlebar tape, break levers, clip-on pedals, one shifter (it took forever and a day), and a new seat. To it's credit, the bike did have one of the best frame mounted pumps. When I got the bike from my uncle, this is exactly what it looked like.


Here's my Trek. Everything is better. It has an aluminum frame with carbon front/rear stays and a carbon seat stay. Handlebar shift levers are awesome! I don't have to reach down and feel (in space) how far to move a lever to shift anymore. I have a compact double in the front with a 10 speed cassette in the back. And it's about 5 lbs lighter.