FatmanTraining

Yesterday Will and I decided to head out at 8am, after what seemed like a short night in the sack, I was wide awake, ready to get a good solid ride in, actually the first solid ride in of the year.

As I prepared, i figured the day would be with the tried and true grand crit, but prior to going out I decided to test a new Bianchi 928 Carbon Coast to TSAOC . The last full carbon frame i road last year was uninspiring, but at the prompting of the new mid Atlantic rep, i figured what the heck.

So we swapped the hoops for my Easton Circuits, and with some adjustments and fitting we were off . We were in for a good 3 hours of riding, which would be more than ample time to test this girl out. But lets start from first impression:

The workman ship as it related to the frame was supurb, the kevlar wrapped highlights were a great accent, the paint and decals were clean and precise, and the feel of it is that of a precision machine. This whip was equiped with Shimno 105 and a middle of the road FSA crank. I suppose that Bianchi wants to appeal to the budget minded while selling a fantastic full carbon frame. That being said, i felt that the components were well matched and do offer a substantial value package, as while Shimano 105 may not be the fanciest it is a work horse of a component group.

The beginning of the ride, got us warming up, and we weaved through the country of Lancaster County, getting our legs beneath us, The first thing that came to mind how responsive the frame was, the first test were around some hard back to back corners, where the bike would have to hook up in order for me not to end up in the hospital. Throwing caution to the wind, I kept the hammer down through a couple of tight turns, and the bike hooked up and gripped through them like a champ. It was solid and predictable the whole way through the corners and the transition to the next was supple and controlled.

The next major test is the descent test. As many of you know this is what would be called my specialty, No it’s cause I’m fat and can go like hell… Anyway from atop the ironville pike ridge, we descended down to Marietta Ave, and I again pushed it hard to get to the bottom. The 928 ate the vibrations and kept both wheels firmly planted against the pavement as we cornered to the bottom in excess of 45 mph.

With confidence in the whip established I continued to marvel that this bike was a real pleasure to be on. It isn’t made for a crit, but having been on it for a solid three hours, i got off it without the abusive feeling of having just done 45 miles riding a jackhammer.

The Cons of this bike has to be the components, which may not really be fair, as it didn’t feel that the shifting was what it should be, it seemed to shift a tad sluggish, but that is just my opinion as i’m used to riding Chorus, or Durace on my own whips. Not having those to compare too i probably wouldn’t have noticed the sluggishness.

Bottom Line: If long distance riding is what your into and you want a full carbon bike, you should look at the 928 CtC. It’s supple ride, great handling characteristics make it a whip you can count on for any century you can throw at it.

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Kids these days.  So last night, I left my client bound and determined to work out.  Perhaps just something different to break up the monotony of traveling.  I decided that I should get some decent running sneakers, and thus I headed over to the mall to the local foot locker. 

In the immortal words of a past co-worker “What a Place”    Okay, so i’m buying sneakers not a BMW, and for those of you in retail, speak the language!

So this kid comes over and is like what “whachuneeed”  Great i’m thinking fantastic, what did you just say.  So i explain i want a good pair of running shoes,  Now in my limited retail experience that is the key to go to the best pair of sneakers.  This jackass saunters over to the display and grabs a random pair of sneakers and says

Him: “mannnthetheses are goooooooorunin shoes” 

Me:  they don’t look like running sneakers, they look like cross trainers. 

Him ”yeappp” 

Me:  why would I want those instead of running sneakers? 

Him:  oh?  yeah if you gonna run, then you’ll need inserts.. 

Me:  Why? 

Him: Cause u see, they squish when you run, see, and they make it better,

Me:  But isn’t that why i should just by running sneakers?  So i won’t need any inserts

Him: Man u are gonna need them in any of the sneakers.

Me: So let me get this straight ( i pick up the most expensive running shoe there) If I pay more that a 100  dollars for these, I will still need 40 dollar inserts?

Him: Yeap

Me: Well maybe i should just by the inserts and run in my wingtips, given that no matter how much i pay for sneakers I need these magical inserts.

Him: Huhh?

Me: Walked to the next store, bought sneakers

FM

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It has been sometime since i’ve had a time to visit this fine site and grace it with my pithy commentary. Unfortunately for me I’ve been working my behind off, which one would hope would keep in tough for the saddle, but alas, that just isn’t the case. I’ve been out on the bike a total of twice this year.
The first was Jan 8. Yes January, don’t let the month fool you, it was one of those bluebird days where the mercury hit 70, and I just had to get out! 35 miles later, the Opera was hung with care on it’s rack until today. The problem like most I have is the first set of rides, they are hard, they tell me that i let myself eat just one too many cookies with my daughter, and that my ass is still fat, and thus why climbing is hard. Today, I got the motivation to get out on the bike, inspired by less than a perfect week at work. I got all suited up, and started putting air in the ole tires, and then boom, their was a small hole in the side wall of the rear tire on the Opera. Bummer.. Without a spare tire to be seen, i looked over at the ever so sad Masi, and said well old girl your up. She was like my tires will hold air old man, lets do this shit right. So after transferring my saddle bag and airing up the tires we were out on the road. Now make no mistake I love that bike, perhaps it is the fact that i’ve gotten some substantial saddle time in it, or the fact that i can rely on it to pull hard and even through corners. I left the house, the goal was just to get some time on the bike, get my legs going in a circular motion, and get my buttocks accustomed to where i am hoping it will spend allot of this summer.

I headed down 462 to the river, headed south and then looped back around towards Millersville then on home. I noticed right of the bat, that i was out of shape. It happens, I’m more like a grizzly bear, all winter i hibernate, and eat, then i come out to a grueling period of exercise. It is this initial period of exercise that i think we all hate, Where the muscles have atrophied, the joints aren’t used to the wear, and the belly seems to get in the way.

People it happens, and it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t moved a muscle in 3 months, or 3 years.The initial shock to the system sucks! My recommendation is that if your starting the season out now, perhaps your preparing for a ride later in the year, like the Tour de Pink. Then start slow.
Use these first couple of rides to let your body re-acclimate to the bike, focus on saftey and good ride technique. Get some good mileage in, but don’t worry so much about your speed, that will come all in due time. After you get some base miles under your belt for the season then start pushing yourself, finding the big hills, or going for long mileage. The season is in full swing, so start easy, get acclimated, and stay safe.
FM
January 8, 2008 ride 1 of the season

Today’s Ride

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Filed under: cycling

So there i was just before Christmas working on my wife’s gifts, using my trusty PC.  When to what my wondering eyes should appear, a blue screen of death, and not a peripheral you hear.

Yeah, it sucked, my vista machine was on the fritz, nothing seemed to be working and thus my blood pressure had to be going thought the roof.

After some contemplation (all of 20 seconds) i decided to get a mac.  Hell all i do is surf the web, manage some web pages, blog, and buy stuff online.  Perhaps a Mac would be easier.  I figured that on my PC i spent more time making applications work, and updating for security protection than i ever did actually using it.

I spent several days doing research figuring out if i wanted a desktop iMac or a power book, and came to the conclusion that the iMac was where it was.

I headed to the  apple store, spent a couple hours there, and walked out with my 24 inch mac.  I must say i spent 2 minutes from the box to online and surfing and i haven’t looked at my PC since.

I like and so would you.

FM

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