My ego is pretty pumped up nowadays because after methodical training, my speed continues to climb. This morning I was one minute late for the fastest Saturday morning peloton on key Biscayne, and in five miles, I was able to chase them down. Granted I was going near full out, and some of them may have had a little in reserve, but I still chased them down. I am 47 and most of them are in their 20's and 30's. I ride lugged steel with 14 speeds and they have 16,18 and 20 gears to choose from. I was proud.
I proceeded to our local bike shop, that has a cash register that never stops ringing. Most people go there for the unbelievable low prices on good quality bike clothes. Bike shorts that go for more than $50 and $60, sell for $20 and $25, while jerseys that sell for $40 and $50 often sell for $13, $11 and sometimes even $6. My girlfriend wants to switch to a road bike, and let it slip that she was in the market. The salesman jumped on the possibility of a sale and directed her to a stable of aluminum bikes. I mentioned that she will be considering steel too, only to be subjected to a cascade of anti steel propaganda. Most stores in our area have at least some high end steel bikes, but this store has sworn off aluminum, giving this salesman the opportunity to formulate some horrible discriminatory babble. I must admit to being a mature man, but somehow his barrage caused me some physical pain. Maybe you are more resistant than I am, but for what it's worth this was the attack on my sensitive soul: 1) We don't sell steel anymore because serious road bikes are all aluminum now. 2) Yes, some high end road bikes are still made of steel, but they are very expensive, even though steel is cheap to make. They are expensive because to warrantee them the manufacturers need to tack on big margins because every couple of seasons the steel requires re-bending to get them back straight. Bend them enough and they just snap. 3) Steel bikes are throwaway luxuries, but aluminum lasts forever. 4) The low end aluminum bikes come with aluminum forks instead of steel because steel forks are so imprecise that it's hard to keep these bikes handling predictably. Better aluminum bikes come with carbon fiber forks, but steel would just be too sloppy even though it's comfortable.
I am usually well composed and enjoy a good debate, but this guy had me on the ropes. I hope I see him on the road one day, when I would sooner spit blood then not drop this guy in my lugged wake. Maybe I need therapy, so I can continue to shop there. Garth Libre, feeling good and bad in South Florida.