The Bike

Prior to September 2008, the bike was a racing Peugeot with Colombus tubing. About 13 years old? It's a good bike but I never felt really comfortable on it. As I have become more knowledgeable (my wife would say "Nerdy") about these things, I think the stem is too long and I was overreaching for the brake hoods. This, in turn, would make me slide forward on the seat and put pressure on the wrong area of the perineum. As every cyclist knows, this causes numbness in the perineal area......which is a weird feeling to say the least. After the Etape Caledonia, I think it took a day or two to wear off! The Peugeot weighs 12.5kg, which by modern standards, is a rock! Gearing was 52/42 on the front and probably 11-21 on the back which was brutal, to say the least, for the hills. I managed to get the local bike shop in Perth to change it to 52/39 and 13-26. This still left a lowest gear ratio of 1.5- probably fine for Mr Armstrong but not for a 42 year-old GP who has only just taken up cycling again. So, I asked my old mate Chris Tiso if he'd sell me a decent bike from his shop in Edinburgh- and he did!- a 2009 model Trek Madone 5.2. Lowest gear ratio, on a 50/34 and 11-25 is 1.36 (34 divided by 25). That may not seem like a big drop from before (<10%) but the bike now weighs in at around 8kg. The UCI specify a minimum weight of 6.8kg for a racing bike. And I'm lighter too! From a starting weight of 78.4kg in January, I am now 71.7kg. A total weight saving of 11.2kg! On the flat, this is not crucial but for climbing hills, maximum power-to-weight ratio is the key.