Sadness disguised as a receipt

"Damn. I knew I should have done it sooner. "

This was the exact thought that ran through my mind when I received a call from the LBS that the order that I had placed for a Giant Defy Advanced 1 couldn't be completed.

Me:"Seriously?"

Bike shop Guy:"Yeah, there's 5, size small, between the East and West coasts. All spoken for."

"I can get you on a Roubaix Expert or Madone."

Me:"I'll be in on Sunday to test ride those two. Thanks"

The fact of the matter is that I wasn't going to go test ride anything. I had made up my mind that this was the bike that I had wanted for the past year and a half. After all, my road bike and two mountain bike were all Giant. Not that I'm a one brand kind of guy. Not that these other bikes aren't great bikes. But the Defy had gotten great reviews, looked great, and in general delivered on Giant's reputation of offering a terrific bang for your buck.

At roughly $3500 including taxes, bang for your buck is a relative term when talking about a bicycle. But you can hardly argue the specs. Full Ultegra 6700, Mavic Ksyrium elite hoops, and that gorgeous full carbon frame. The reviews had confirmed it over and over.

And to Giant's credit, they tried very hard to get me on a bike. I could get a frameset and swap out my current Ultegra 6600 out onto the frame. Too bad I'm looking to go from a triple on my current ride to a double on the new ride. They were willing to knock quite a bit off of the Defy 0. This was very tempting, but not realistic.

I ride enough to justify a nice mid-level bike. No more and no less. I know you're thinking that $3500 doesn't sound like a mid level bike, but if you shop around enough, you'll see what I mean. The Defy 0 goes for about $5800 with taxes. 6 grand. 6 Large.

That's a lot of lattes. And while I can afford it (and am truly lucky to have that luxury), I'd like to consider myself somewhat practical. I am what most serious bikers call a "lard ass". At right around 200lbs, I do not have a resting heart rate of 48. Shaving ounces does nothing for me. I do ride over 100 miles on a weekend all summer long, weather permitting. I also do 6-8 centuries a year. Along with some other reasons too boring to get into, this would have been a perfect ride.

If I could get one.

The moral of this cautionary tale? Don't wait.

Whether it's buying a bike or anything that you want to do, do it today, because the opportunity might not present itself again for a while.

Kurt Kinetic

I set up my trainer lasdt week ant took it for a spin, pun definitely intended. Maybe I'm not used to trainers, but it seems like the claim of "realistic road feel" is bull$..t. That being said, the resistance was super consistant and did give a good workout. It came with a good beginners DVD and while I think that trainers can't compare to getting out and riding, I'm pretty happy. Set-up was a breeze, and other than the hideous shade of green, it's nice and sleek looking. It's also got a solid base. I have little experience with trainers, so my mechanics need work, but even with my fat ass wobbling around, the bike, the base, and the trainer were rock solid. Overall I'd give it a B. I'm really only taking points off for the crappy color and the fact that it doesn't feel like riding a bike on pavement. Like I said, I haven't ridden other trainers (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night), but given the research that I did I am very happy with it.

Boy, I really need to get it together...

It's been quite a few weeks since I've posted anything. And I mean anything. I promised I'd review my wheels and cranks, but I got caught up drooling over the new Giant Defy. This is basically the new for 09 version of my beloved OCR composite that I've been beating on for three years. So now that I have a new two-wheeled object of lust in my life, what's next? Will I dump my still relatively sexy ride for a newer, younger model? Probably. Don't get upset, at least I'm honest. And the truth of the matter is this: My current sweetheart will probably stay in the family as a beginner bike for my girlfriend (that I'm desperately trying to get into riding). I know it's not a dignified fate for such a nice bike, but I can't just let her go. Besides, me and my girlfriend are both short enough to where the bike actually fits us both. As for the Defy, check my new mistress and the rest of the 09 line out here (she's only my mistress until I buy her, probably in the spring...she's not cheap you know).