Bike Gets A Facelift. :)

Doesn't everyone like new toys!! And as a triathlete there is a veritable "buffet" of choices for new toys. AKA....NOT A CHEAP SPORT!! ;) One new toy that I have been thinking about for awhile is a new bike. The million dollar question being, which bike? I've tried a few and so far haven't found one that I really liked and wanted to spend the $$ on...so instead with the expert guidance of my coachy coacherton and my LBS www.lasvegascyclery.com I transformed the old Tessie into an "integrated, as close to tri set up /position as I'm going to get with a road bike frame" machine. Might I just say.........bike looks good and feels good! Next step will be to get her/him(need a new name..come on BFF) painted. Not sure that will happen this year, as I believe it takes a few weeks and I can't be without bike while I'm trying to get ready for Boise.(oopss that might be bad!)

I've had a few friends ask me why I didn't just get a tri bike and my response to them was.....because I haven't found one I like. Why the "H" would I just spend that kind of money on something I don't even like. Plus, there's not a huge selection of bikes to test drive here. I wanna go someplace that has a BUNCH of different bikes so I can try them all at the same time(like TRISPORTS), because I can GUARANTEE you that when I try them out at a few different stores I will forget the little nuances that make the bikes different and makes them feel different. I would probably have to take pictures and write comments on the backs. hee hee

(you know like you do when buying a house..I mean,really after the 2nd house, don't they all look the same).

AND NOW....one other thing. WHAT'S UP WITH EVERYONE BAGGING ON MY TRIPLE??? Ok, well not everyone but just about everyone tells me to get rid of it. Why? Am I a tool, a capital "L" for loser for having it? It came with the bike, so I imagine Trek had some reason for putting it on as a component. I get the fact that TT bikes don't come with them, and that a triple weighs more that a double. BUT DOES IT REALLY MATTER??? It just means I have extra gears right?? Do I ever use them, practically never but I have a few times, so isn't that reason enough to keep it? Is it perhaps perception....like other athletes will see it and think I'm a weaker cyclist? AWESOME!!!! Assume away.....we all know what that does! Maybe if you're lucky, while I'm passing you on the bike course I might even be obliged to discuss the merits of triple vs double that is, if you can keep up. tthhrrrpppttt. Truth be told I am going to purchased a double, bottom bracket and front derailleur from a friend to have , so when I do decided to change it I have it.....but I was just throwing the question out there into blog land.

What's the big deal, because just about everyone seems to have a strong opinion about it!