New member introduction

[FIJIGabe]

Hello. I recently joined the board, and appreciate the forum and any advice I can get.

A little bit about myself: I'm an attorney living in the South Texas region, about 4.5 hrs from Austin. I got into the sport about five years ago, because my wife wanted to participate in the MS150 ride near our old house in Miami, Florida. Since then, I have been spending as much time as possible on two wheels, and can't get enough.

I'm not a racer, and don't intend on becoming one. I only try to compete with myself. I have used cycling to drop a considerable amount of weight. I'm 6'4, and weighed about 295-305lbs when I got into riding. I'm not around 245lbs, and trying to get down to 220-225 by September 2013 (my current goal is to finish Levi's Gran Fondo in 2013.

Bikes - I have a road bike, as well as a mountain bike. My road bike is a 2010 Trek Madone 5 (Project One). 60cm frame (Performance or H2 fit), using a 110cm stem and RXL Isospeed handlebar. It's equipped with Ultegra 6700 (50x34/11-28) and 2011 Reynolds DV3K clinchers (I also have a set of Bontrager RXL wheels, which I use for hilly rides). I have been contemplating a switch to DA7900, or maybe SRAM Red, but find it difficult to justify the price.

My mountain bike is a 2012 Trek Cobia, which is completely stock.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to chatting with everyone.

[tonytourist]

Post a few pictures of your rides. Also, congratulations on your weight loss!

[btompkins0112]

That's real weight weenie stuff there.....Congrats!

Post some photos of the bikes!

[FIJIGabe]

I'm on my iPhone, so I can't post pictures. I'll go ahead and post some when I get home tonight.

[FIJIGabe]

here's one good photo of my bike. i'll look to take some pics of the MTB soon.

[btompkins0112]

That's a good lookin' Trek!

[Juanmoretime]

Welcome to weight weenies. Since my wife is from El Paso I can't hold being a Texan against you.

Very nice set of bikes. I too like to tell people that a bad day on the bike is still better than a good day at work.

Going to Red is a good choice for many reasons, my opinion. I like the ergonomics. I really like the way it shifts. It's very light of course. There are definitely many things you can do and still keep your bike rideable and reliable but make your choices well.

Juan

[FIJIGabe]

Thanks for the compliments. I'm definitely looking to lighten my bike (it currently sits at about 18.5lbs). However, I have to keep an eye on strength, given that even if I reach my fitness goal of 220-225, I'm still well into the Clydesdale category. However, Red is a serious possibility, and so is getting a new bike. I've got my eye on the Domane. Given the nature of the roads down here, I'll take the weight penalty for the comfort. I can always drop the weight by switching to Red!

[prendrefeu]

How tall are you?


and welcome.

[FIJIGabe]

i'm 6'4"