Part of my prep work has been getting all the odds and ends that I was use to having when I was riding before. This meant some long nights reading reviews, and finding the right items to purchase. Paul's had the vast majority of the things I needed and they were either purchased, or ordered at the time I ordered the bike, but there were other things I needed which they did not carry.
One of the things that I needed right off was going to be new tires. Why new tires on a new bike you ask? Well, the S-Works Tarmac is a racing bike and accordingly comes with racing tires. These are thin, lightweight tires which will last only around 800 miles. In addition to the short lifespan, they offer little to no puncture resistance which is a negative in my book since I don't have a SAG vehicle with me on my rides. I was going to need to replace them with a more suitable "training" tire. Specialized offers several different tires which are very good for all purposes. However, based on a suggestion from a friend years ago, I started using Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires on my last Tarmac. These tires were awesome to say it simply. They would last nearly 4000 miles with my use, I never had a flat using them, and they were actually significantly faster than the racing tires that came on the Tarmac originally. As my cycling season was coming to a close last year, Continental had released a mark II version of that tire with better protection, and better grip which I was planning on getting when I finished wearing the current tires out.
With the cycling rebirth, it was as good a time as any to go ahead and purchase a set to put on the S-Works. It originally came with 700x24mm tires as a result of testing done by Specialized. Apparently, these are more aerodynamic than the normal 23mm tires and offer a bit more comfort. I looked for that size and found that Continental did not make a 4000S II in that size. My choices were either a 23mm or 25mm. I did a lot of research between the two sizes and ultimately came to the conclusion that I was talking only 1mm difference either way from the OE tire. I opted for what I knew, and went with a 23mm tire which is actually a bit oversized when compared to Specialized rubber, so I figured that I was still going to be at that 24mm size when it came down to it.
In addition to tires, I also purchased some more tools, a tail light, and a K-Edge mount for the Garmin 510 which was ordered. I had gone through multiple mounting options with my previous Garmin 500 and found that the best option, hands down was the K-Edge which put the computer out in front of the bars, and held the unit on like superglue. The Garmin kit came with an "Out Front Mount" which was very similar to the K-Edge part, but was made out of plastic instead of CNC machined aluminum like the K-Edge. The reviews also pointed out that the Garmin piece tended to break the ears on the computer mount which cost $70 to repair. I knew K-Edge, and liked the product (also matched the chain spotter on the front derailleur on the bike), so I went ahead and bought that as well. After about a week or so, I had a pile of parts in the office just waiting on a bike.
I mentioned the Garmin, which came in to Paul's after only a week. I went ahead and picked that up and started to play with it. Its a neat piece of equipment that records the ride both with GPS information as well as a bunch of biometrics. It will also allow live tracking which was a must have for me for Toni's sake. I wanted her to be able to see where I was in real time at any time during a ride. She could also tell if I was moving since it would show speed, direction, heart rate, cadence, etc on her end. This was going to be a very important aspect of my cycling. It also is linked to a website called Garmin Connect which tracks your rides, and other aspects of your personal training. So that everything is accurate, Garmin asks that you input your height and weight, along with other fitness indicators to make sure that your calorie counts are accurate during a ride. This was going to be the moment of truth for me. I hadn't grown, only aged a year, and I could answer most questions without hesitation. When I was asked for weight, I was scared of the answer. The last time I weighed in (before the crash) I was at 181, which was a little heavier than I was at my peak training.
I pulled the scale out of the closet, and got on in what was going to become a weekly routine once again. It was with mixed emotions that I saw an even 200lbs on the dial. On one hand, I was deeply saddened that I had gained that much weight, and was back to where I was at some point in early 2012. On the other hand, I guess it could have been much worse since I haven't done much exercising at all since November. Either way you looked at it, I was 200lbs now, after a low of 174lbs about a year ago. I was going to have to get that under control. I'm setting my initial goal at 180lbs which was a really good weight for me overall. I have my mission, and know that the way to make it happen will be on two wheels, with many miles. I just need to get that danged bike! Is it here yet????
For those who are into cycling, you know that the clothes are anything but cheap. Well, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with all my kits when I quit in November. I felt that many of them were memorabilia, and worth keeping, and all of them had memories. Toni convinced me to just box them up and keep them. I never intended on wearing them again, but she was right, I didn't want to get rid of those memories. Fortunately for me, I had listened to her. I unboxed the clothes and sorted through them. There were some that were just worn out, and some that were too loose on me. I left them in the box and pulled out the items that fit and still looked good. One of them was my 2012 Double Down jersey which I don't plan on wearing any time soon. It was my century jersey, and I plan on wearing it next year while I am training for my participation in the 2015 DD2TB. It will take a while before I am conditioned to that kind of ride again, but I'm hoping that my first one will be in March.
My bike still isn't here! UGH!!!!!
I have things ordered, clothes out and back in the closet, Its just a waiting game at this point. Hang on, there is something else I can do in preparation for the arrival of the bike. I can create space for it in the garage. Seems like a simple task, but my garage is pretty full since I have a host of tools for doing maintenance, and lots of detailing supplies for the truck that resides inside. I was debating on where I wanted to make room and decided that I would use the same corner as I had used before. This time there would only be one bike instead of two. I moved everything out of the corner and found other places for the tool boxes and shelves. It was time to start going through all of the new items and get things organized in the corner.
I placed old door mats on the floor to keep the wheels elevated when parked so they didn't end up sitting in standing water in the winter with the melting snow. I had a single bike stand at the head, and a mechanic's workstand in the corner. The toolbox contained all of the tools that I had purchased for the new bike, along with some of the cleaning supplies which I will be using after most rides. Of course, I also have my original tire pump ready to air up the new Continentals when the bike gets here. Is it here yet?
Another nice touch that I added was my bit of Specialized paraphernalia which I had saved from before as well. It went right back up on the wall where it had been. I also added three pictures from different events which I had hanging in the office for my trainer sessions to keep me motivated. Every time I went to get the bike for a ride, I would be reminded of riding a century at the Tour to Tanglewood in 2012, climbing Ceasar's Head in 2013, and completing 212.24 miles in the 2013 Double Down to the Beach. These would keep me motivated to keep adding to the distance and difficulty of my rides...to find that fitness level I had enjoyed a few months ago.
Hey!!!!! My bike is here! Oh wait...that's my old one. Nuts! As you can see on the wall to the right, I used to collect my dead parts as trophies for the miles ridden. I had tires, chains, cassette, stem, saddle, etc hanging on the wall. These all got tossed when I cleared out my cycling corner, and that turned out to be just fine since I was thinking about doing that anyway because I was running out of room and I was spitting out chains every other month or so. This time, I opted to do something different with the space. I still had my old bib numbers from events, as well as a plaque from being a Mission Possible rider in the 2013 Tour to Tanglewood. These would go on the wall with room for more numbers as I attended more event rides in the future.
Toni is now referring to this corner of the garage as the nursery. I have been decorating it, and getting everything placed just so with no clear idea when the due date is on the bike. Speaking of which, is my bike here yet?
Nope.....
Everything has been bought now, I'm just waiting for the bike to put it all together and go out on my first ride. I'm not sure how long it will be, or how fast it will go. I don't have a lot of hope for far and fast, but I would like to think that I could still do a strong 25 miles to start with. That is my goal, and if I'm feeling froggy, I would like to try for 50 miles with a tired finish. If I can pull that off, I think I will be on the road to a quick recovery of my fitness. All I can do is speculate at this point on how things will go, and hope that the bike arrives in enough time that I can still put in some serious miles before it gets cold.
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