I posted yesterday about looking for a bike shop. Well, after getting some good recommendations I went with Spoke Life Cycles in Perrysburg, OH. I’ll write more about the overall experience later on. It was a productive trip and thanks to the extensive research I’d done over the past few months, it went quickly. I had pretty much settled on the Specialized Roubaix SL4 Sport 105 through research, but I needed to talk to some folks and ride some bikes before I pulled the trigger. The shop didn’t have any of the exact bike I was looking at, but they had just set up a similar model so I could at least ride it around and test the geometry out to see how everything worked.

I took the bike out behind the plaza the shop is located in, and tore up and down the road for 15 minutes. All I can say is, WOW! That bike is fast! Compared to my old bike, this thing is crazy! I was blown away by how the bike rode, what it felt like, how fast it was, and how little it weighed. My test bike had a lower component group but it had the same shifting mechanism style. I’m used to having to struggle with my bike, never being able to get into the gear I want, etc. Riding a perfectly tuned bike was crazy for me.

The only thing I’ve noticed, and this is true on every bike I’ve been on regardless of brand, is when they are set up perfectly, the angle of the handlebars is odd and I can’t really reach the brakes well – they are too high up for me. I think this is due to my screwed up wrist and broken bones. There is some wiggle room and I can get those bars turned down a little on my own ride, I’m sure.

The bike I wanted wasn;t in stock, but I paid for it now so that I’m committed. My bike will definitely be in by the end of the month. I’ve waited so long for a good bike, two more weeks shouldn’t kill me. But there we have it, I’m the proud owner of a brand new Specialized composite road bike! I can’t wait to get her onto the road and get some miles going!