Oh, new stuff is so lovely...

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

So anyway, after a second knee arthroscopy from an old motorcycle racing injury, the surgeon advised me that my Articluar Femoral Cartilage is so shagged, that my running days are over (at 38...)

So out came my trusty but aged Rockhopper, which is now all I'm allowed to do (other than gym and swimming, yawwnnn)

Of course, taking up some serious cycling again after about a 10 year gap necessitated visits to bike shops, and ohhh, there are some very shiny things in those, isn't there?

So now I've got this in the garage too! (Don't tell the missus how much it was by the way)



It's a Specialized Secteur Elite 2010. Got it for £799 which I'm pleased with, nice 105 kit on it, lovely.

I tried doing some research on what to buy etc. etc., but in the end just bought what I fancied and that looked good to me, as a non expert.

Went out today for my first long ride - 5 miles - and it's fast compared to the MTB that's for sure! Once my sore arse settles down, I'll be out much more.

Happy bunny

[Teebs]

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

So anyway, after a second knee arthroscopy from an old motorcycle racing injury, the surgeon advised me that my Articluar Femoral Cartilage is so shagged, that my running days are over (at 38...)

So out came my trusty but aged Rockhopper, which is now all I'm allowed to do (other than gym and swimming, yawwnnn)

Of course, taking up some serious cycling again after about a 10 year gap necessitated visits to bike shops, and ohhh, there are some very shiny things in those, isn't there?

So now I've got this in the garage too! (Don't tell the missus how much it was by the way)



It's a Specialized Secteur Elite 2010. Got it for £799 which I'm pleased with, nice 105 kit on it, lovely.

I tried doing some research on what to buy etc. etc., but in the end just bought what I fancied and that looked good to me, as a non expert.

Went out today for my first long ride - 5 miles - and it's fast compared to the MTB that's for sure! Once my sore arse settles down, I'll be out much more.

Happy bunny

Very nice, I'm looking to get something like that next year. Enjoy the riding.

[hman]

got cleats?

[Mr Will]

:cough:

[Digga]

Yes, I think that's a very well-judged, self-dose of "shiny thing make it better".

Not sure if it helps now, but in future, try and buy bikes that look vaguely similar - that way the Mrs might never notice the proliferation.

[anonymous-user]

Good work, I did the same recently but spent considerably more

Your arse will recover after a few days rest, 4/5 medium rides should have you broken in (ooh er!)

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 3rd March 20:06

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Mr Will said:

:cough:

You are having one of those Giraffes - I can barely make it to the shops at the moment.

Maybe after 5 years of training I might be up for it!

Yep got cleats - actually in a pathetic attempt to save a few quid after such a ridiculous outlay for shed-based shinery, I decided my existing SPD mountain bike shoes would suffice for now, so I bought a pair of Shimano pedals that accept my MTB shoes.

I did buy a nice pair of Cateye lamps and a computer today though. Wallet fail.

[RRS_Staffs]

Nice bike and welcome to life as a 'roadie'

Before you fritter away loads of cash on "essentials" I would strongly recommend a set of Crud Road Racer removable mud guards till the weather improves

[Mr Will]

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

Mr Will said:

:cough:

You are having one of those Giraffes - I can barely make it to the shops at the moment.

Maybe after 5 years of training I might be up for it!

Yep got cleats - actually in a pathetic attempt to save a few quid after such a ridiculous outlay for shed-based shinery, I decided my existing SPD mountain bike shoes would suffice for now, so I bought a pair of Shimano pedals that accept my MTB shoes.

I did buy a nice pair of Cateye lamps and a computer today though. Wallet fail.

You've got a few months yet, you'd be able to do it.

Keep it in mind as you get a few more miles under your belt; It's easier than you'd think and a grand day out.

[shalmaneser]

RRS_Staffs said:

Nice bike and welcome to life as a 'roadie'

Before you fritter away loads of cash on "essentials" I would strongly recommend a set of Crud Road Racer removable mud guards till the weather improves

mudguards on (proper) road bikes are sick and wrong.

You'll be telling the poor man to buy a rack next!

[RRS_Staffs]

shalmaneser said:

mudguards on (proper) road bikes are sick and wrong.

You'll be telling the poor man to buy a rack next!

LOL

They may be both of the above but the 1000km Ive done in the last 6 weeks would have been a lot more tedious without them at this time of the year

[Not Ideal]

Hi there Ray. I'm looking at a Secteur but for the price you paid for your Elite I can only get a Sport. Can I ask where you got your Elite from..??

You enjoying it a couple of months in..??

Cheers.

[Old man Jimbo]

I got a Specialized Secteur Elite Apex 2011 for just under £850 with some freebies thrown in. So that's this years model with the sram apex for £50 extra by playing various shops off each other. Dunno if that's of any help to you?

[Not Ideal]

Ok cool Jim - i'll do some hunting.

You enjoying the bike..??

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Not Ideal said:

Hi there Ray. I'm looking at a Secteur but for the price you paid for your Elite I can only get a Sport. Can I ask where you got your Elite from..??

You enjoying it a couple of months in..??

Cheers.

Hello matey. I'm loving the bike - it's ideal for what I wanted it for, and seems to fit me well and feel good. Done a few 25 milers, which is a lot for me, and am using it to cycle to work on when the weather's nice.

Got it from a place called Noah's Ark via mail order - perhaps not ideal but they were the only people who had one in that size from the 2010 range.

I didn't want Sram Apex like the 2011 bikes, preferring the triple ring 105 setup. So I'm well happy. Whether you'll find a 2010 model now, who knows.

Noahs Ark were good people to deal with anyway, and are a local bike shop rather than a big chain, which I like to support. Might be worth a phone call to see what they can help you with. Most shops seem to start discounting stock around August, so if you wait until then you might get a better deal on one of this year's models.

Good luck!

[Not Ideal]

Cool thanks very much for coming back to me Ray.

Will let you know how I get on.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the bike.

Ben

[Old man Jimbo]

Not Ideal said:

Ok cool Jim - i'll do some hunting.

You enjoying the bike..??

I love it! I was going to buy a 105/triple type bike but as me and some mates from team midlife crisis are tackling more and more stupid and painful hills I had to rethink the ratio's somewhat. The sram set up gave the largest range for me and I've swapped the rear gearset out from a 32/11 to a 36/12 to make it possible to go up vertical walls etc! The bike itself it great and the service from my almost local bike shop is second to none.

But to be fair I only started biking last year and that was on a bastardised bitza bike so anything else would be "amazing" to me!

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Old man Jimbo said:

team midlife crisis

Got any vacancies? I think I would be an ideal candidate to join