How old were you when you got your first really nice bike?

Captain's log. On StarDate 12 Sep 2003 19:14:12 -0700 received comm from
(Brink) on channel rec.bicycles.misc ":

: How old were you when you got your first really nice bike and what was
: it?

28 (in 1996).

Eddy Merckx Arcobaleno, Dura Ace 9SP gear mech with STI (first year 9 speed was
introduced), Ultegra brakes and BB, Selle Italia Flite, 3T Forma SL (ergonomic
handle), 3T Record 87 stem, Mavic Open SUP CD with DT Comp.

: I got a cheap mountain bike from the local bike shop at age 21.(
: Mongoose hiltopper)
:
: I got a really nice road bike this year at age 29. (Tommasini techno
: ultegra components)
:
: Why did i wait so long?

Same here!

But I'm still very happy with my bicycle and don't regret it even if it took
that many years to get my own first bike. Quality is better than quantity, and
now it's a perfect and very enjoyable way for me to get some exercise.

: Well at least i saw the light!

Yeah! :-)

Best regards,

martin törnsten

--
http://194.236.153.211/

: How old were you when you got your first really nice bike and what was
: it?

I've never had a REALLY nice bike, at least compared to most people. I've
always had decent bikes though ... amazing how cheep good older stuff can
be.

I got my first bike at 3. The first bike I remember going nuts over was a
sweet metallic blue 15 speed road bike I got for my birthday when I was 12
(1982). Almost too big for me but I grew into it quickly enough. I rode
that bike into the ground for the next 4 years until I got my drivers
license.

Just a couple of months ago I got my first new bike since that one. A mish
mash of NOS parts. Basically put it together myself. MTB, Giant aluminum
frame, dual suspension with Rock Shox Judy TT up front, Fox Vanilla RX in
back, Deore and Alivio stuff. Nothing special but I like it, and the whole
thing cost about $400, which makes it the most expensive bike I've ever
owned. Indeed, more expensive than all my other bikes combined (c:

C.Q.C.

1993 or 1994 I'm pretty sure. I was 13-14 saved up $500 for the down payment
on $1500 CDN or so Mongoose Iboc Pro mountain bike. All XT components,
rapidfire shifters, 7005 aluminum frame, etc. With my paper route money, I'd
make about $200 a month or so to make the payments on the bike...

I was helping out at the bike shop for free as much as I could, learning as
much as I could, and the loan was of course no-interest and the bike was
practically at cost.

I later added a bunch of stuff (the usual, flite seat, bar ends, brake lever
extenders, fancy-this, anodized-that, ti-whatever, etc). Then the shop
bought me a Rock Shox mag 21 just in time for a race in Hamilton, sort of as
"payment".

Amazing bike, I really have to say! It's been through EVERYTHING. There's
some nice chunks of aluminum gone from the frame from random falls into
rocks, etc. 10 years later, only 2 weeks ago have I bought a new bike! The
past few years, the bike has only been used for commuting (since I don't do
offroad anymore, due to knee surgury). Shifting is amazing, brakes are great
(upgraded to newer XTR cantis years ago). The only thing that wore out on
the bike was the middle chain ring (well, and several chains). The cassette
is quite worn and could be replaced now. It was converted into a more
road-worthy ride last year by getting rid of a lot of stuff, and adding1.2"
slicks at 90PSI, etc. I also stripped the pink/black paint off last year and
it is now polished aluminum with orange "mikebeauchamp.com" decals. I'm
considering taking it to an auto place and doing a nice flaky copper finish
with white chunky decals.

The new bike is an entry level road bike (Iron Horse Triumph), aluminum
frame, sora components, mavic rims, etc. Just enough I could afford to get a
"taste" of road bikes. So the old Mongoose is going to be converted back to
a more offroad bike, so I can get back into that lightly...

Mike
http://mikebeauchamp.com

"Q." LostVideos-AT-hotmail.com wrote in message
...
: How old were you when you got your first really nice bike and what was
: it?

I've never had a REALLY nice bike, at least compared to most people. I've
always had decent bikes though ... amazing how cheep good older stuff can
be.

I got my first bike at 3. The first bike I remember going nuts over was a
sweet metallic blue 15 speed road bike I got for my birthday when I was 12
(1982). Almost too big for me but I grew into it quickly enough. I rode
that bike into the ground for the next 4 years until I got my drivers
license.

Just a couple of months ago I got my first new bike since that one. A
mish
mash of NOS parts. Basically put it together myself. MTB, Giant aluminum
frame, dual suspension with Rock Shox Judy TT up front, Fox Vanilla RX in
back, Deore and Alivio stuff. Nothing special but I like it, and the
whole
thing cost about $400, which makes it the most expensive bike I've ever
owned. Indeed, more expensive than all my other bikes combined (c:

C.Q.C.

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 23:25:48 +0100, Martin Törnsten
wrote:

Captain's log. On StarDate 12 Sep 2003 19:14:12 -0700 received comm from
(Brink) on channel rec.bicycles.misc ":

: How old were you when you got your first really nice bike and what was
: it?

17, giant boulder SE 2004

28 (in 1996).

Eddy Merckx Arcobaleno, Dura Ace 9SP gear mech with STI (first year 9 speed was
introduced), Ultegra brakes and BB, Selle Italia Flite, 3T Forma SL (ergonomic
handle), 3T Record 87 stem, Mavic Open SUP CD with DT Comp.

: I got a cheap mountain bike from the local bike shop at age 21.(
: Mongoose hiltopper)
:
: I got a really nice road bike this year at age 29. (Tommasini techno
: ultegra components)
:
: Why did i wait so long?

Same here!

But I'm still very happy with my bicycle and don't regret it even if it took
that many years to get my own first bike. Quality is better than quantity, and
now it's a perfect and very enjoyable way for me to get some exercise.

: Well at least i saw the light!

Yeah! :-)

Best regards,

martin törnsten