I looked, and behold, a white horse. And its rider had bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”  —Revelations 6:2

OK, maybe a little much for a blog intro, especially one in which I take myself about as seriously as a jester at the Renaissance Festival. But it’s difficult to fully grasp the joy of riding a brand new road bike until you’ve been training relentlessly on a 10-plus year-old Schwinn hybrid, aka Robobike (see the story of Robobike at www.metromag.com/0p283b24be58/dared-to-tri-the-return-of-robobike/.)

Among other ongoing minor maintenance issues, a broken derailleur finally put me over the edge, literally; I broke it by tipping over at an intersection because I’m still not quite used to dismounting with my clipless pedals and shoes. People in their cars pointed and laughed. Although it was my own fault, I knew, and have known for a while now, it was time to say goodbye to Robobike and embrace a new era.

I went to the same place I bought Robobike, Maple Grove Cycling, where owner Dan Book was happy to help me out. He toured me through a variety of different bikes and educated me on the benefits of each. But in the end, I knew one was the perfect fit, and in my price range—thanks to Dan. (Did I mention, shop at Maple Grove Cycling?! It just moved to a new location in Lifestyle Commons near I-94 and Weaver Lake Drive, but has been a staple in the community for 22 years. With great deals, a knowledgeable staff and a huge selection, MG Cycling will help you go the distance—that’s my shameless plug.) Dream Weaver by REO Speedwagon echoed in my head as a light shined down from the heavens on a pearl white Trek 1.5. I knew right then, “It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.”

I named her after the symbol of good she represented in my life: The White Horse. When I showed her off to my folks, my dad said, “So now you must have the nicest bike in your spin class!” Sorry, pops. Although I appreciated his enthusiasm, The White Horse is still probably more modestly priced than any of the bikes—most of which are very nice tri bikes—in a class full of experienced/serious triathletes. But she was perfect for a wannabe triathlete like myself, and my trainer jonnyj and many of my classmates congratulated me—probably because they were sick of seeing and hearing Robobike’s wrenching and grinding.

Riding a road bike took a little getting used to (mainly the leaning posture and gear shifting via the brakes), but I felt like a rhino that transformed into a bird. The weight difference in the bikes alone made a drastic difference. Hills became effortless. I was now slicing through the wind that once caught on me like a sail while sitting upright on the hybrid. She rode like a gem. But her seat felt like a diamond, the only minor and very fixable issue I had. I’ve learned that a bike seat is very personal thing (much like the parts that get aggravated by it) where certain shapes need to fit pretty precisely with “certain shapes” to be comfortable…if you catch my drift. I’m currently in the process of trying out a different seat, courtesy of one of my classmates, which seems to be doing the trick. 

As a rookie triathlete who aims to inspire my tri-curious readers to “tri”, I don’t want to send the message that buying a new bike is necessarily the way to go. Depending on your goals, many different bikes of all shapes, models and ages will get you across the finish line. But for all the work I’ve been putting into training, and for all the future work and fun I want to put into my newfound hobby of cycling, I felt like I owed it to myself as an investment that will pay off in the future. But I don’t think I could have truly appreciated a new bike without training on a clunker.

It’s been a fun…well mostly…but a long ride, to be sure, Robobike. But the time of The White Horse is here. Now I just have to try and resemble some sort of a worthy rider.

Bobby Hart will be blogging about his journey from an average Joe to (hopefully) a triathlete sporadically throughout his training until the day of the Maple Grove Triathlon on August 28. Feel free to pass along feedback or advice to bobby.hart@tigeroak.com. He's going to need it.
Learn more about Dare to Tri at www.maplegrovetriathlon.com.