The bike I’m buying was on Bicycling.com’s list of Road Bikes for Under $1,000. Seems for the beginner, me, “slightly sluggish” is a good thing.

Here is their article on Bike Buying Tips. Identify your price range and features and feel requirements, don’t limit yourself by brand. Bike stores usually have sales in the fall to reduce inventory. Haggling probably won’t work on bike price, but try extras or more service. Buying local has definite perks. Carbon is great! But you can also get a good bike with aluminum, or a mix of alloy and carbon, or titanium, or steel. Again, it comes down to how much you have or are willing to spend.

All of that is good, but I just decided to get a bike and I don’t want to wait until the fall. Plus, we’re heading to the Trek store so not many brand options. But DH is happy with his Trek 1000 and I am sure I’ll be fine with mine. If we upgrade in the future, it may be a different story.

The first visit to the store was just informational, mainly to see how much money this would cost. The sales guy set up an appointment for me to come in, wearing my bike shorts, and see how the bike actually rode. I found myself getting excited about that appointment. We spent 2 hours at the store that night.

First we discussed shoes and pedals. I am ready to get the clip-in pedals with the real shoes. We discussed pedal options and went with the medium priced pair with clip only on one side. Then we looked at shoes. Due to my narrow ankles the ratchet system made a world of difference to me so we went with the medium priced pair. Next he put the bike on the trainer and had me sit on it and practice getting my shoes in and out of the pedals. After a few minutes doing that he asked how the seat felt. Truthfully, it hurt, but then, bike seats do hurt, even with padded shorts. I don’t have a lot of additional padding in that area so I expect it to hurt.

He suggested we swap out my seat to try something different, and took a sizing of my bum (that’s a first for me). Of course I need a seat a little bit wider than what comes default with the bike, so we throw a new bike seat on (I’ve stopped keeping a running total at this point). Then the fitting to make sure the seat and handlebars are at the right height and angle.

Way too soon, he had me put on my helmet and walk the bike outside to the parking lot. He did a great job with me, in describing step by step how I was going to get on and off the bike (without crashing). I admit to a lot of trepidation here. I am a physical coward and the thought of skinning my let up as I fall to the ground with my foot stuck in the pedal is the stuff of nightmares for me. (Note, I’ve never broken a single bone due to this fear keeping me so extremely safe.)

The test ride successful, we headed back into the store to identify the rest of the items I might need, like water bottle cages, tire pump, extra tube and bag, rear-view mirror, and of course a computer so I can see how long I’ve been riding, how fast I’m going, and how far I’ve gone.

Then he put it all on the bike, rang it all up, and we paid. The extras cost almost as much as the bike, but they should all last quite a while. Plus I get a $100 card for service at the store, and a few coupons.

And I can bring my front wheel in  Monday night and they will teach me how to change my tire.

When I decided to join him on some of his rides, I quickly decided I needed a pair of riding shorts so we headed off to Cool Breeze at their new location and spent some money on me. The shorts and shirt were all I bought, since I was pretty sure this wasn’t something I would do often or regularly.

Once a year I would toy with the idea of getting an actual road bike for me in case that was the reason riding was so much work for me. But I would always convince myself that I am just not in great shape (stamina-wise, I look great!) so I couldn’t see spending all that money on a bike I wouldn’t use very often.

Today was that one day a year when I showed some interest in a new bike and Anthony jumped on his chance. Cool Breeze closed about the time we decided to head out, so he took us to the Trek Store that recently opened. We were happy to learn they are connected to Cool Breeze so we aren’t really going over to the competition.

My experience at Cool Breeze has always been positive, with guys willing to take the time to talk about the features and my needs without talking down to me or talking above my head. They are patient and know their stuff. Today at the Trek Store was just the same. Jeff listened as DH explained we wanted to get a road bike to replace the hybrid I have been using. Then he asked me if I was open to trying a road bike with that bent over form. Once I said yes, he went off to get one and see what size I needed.

They have a Cycleops Fluid Trainer set up so he could measure my seat height and check out my form (which was great, of course). We settled on a Trek 1.2 WSD 54 cm length, 70 cm seat height. He patiently set it all up to check out what would work. Then he talked about other options and features. I agreed to get shoes and the lock-in pedals. We’ll also add in the computer so I can check my cadence.

Since it was raining, he suggested we go ahead and set up an appointment for a test ride next week. I was a bit surprised to realize I really wanted to schedule that and move ahead with this purchase.