Roadies_Rok

Well Folks, as they say: "this puppy is in the can!". I got out this morning and did 20 miles on the Litespeed Arenberg I bought about a week ago and I am very happy. I am going to have to strengthen my core and get used to riding bent over again but that will come with time. The bike is everything I remember in a high end road bike. Fast, accelerates like a rocket ship, carves turns, and comfortable for the long haul. I think I am really going to enjoy this. For anyone looking for a decent wireless bicycle computer as I was until yesterday check Target or Walmart. They have a wireless computer made by Bell, the Dashboard 300. I picked it up because I don't want or need to launch nuclear missiles from my bike not do I need to do open heart surgery. I just need to keep track of my ride miles, average speed, and max speed and this computer does it admirable. later I have an old smart phone that still works and I may activate it on the Tracfone network and start using Strava but that will be later.

I am finding that as I go through my bike I am learning more and more about it. My bike has a 27.2 seatpost which is old school and I like the look and feel of it. The handlebar clamp is 25.4mm while the steerer is 31.8mm which means that if I change the handlebar to a wider bar which I plan to do I will have to get a new stem which I am OK with. I also want to get a stem with a little rise to take a bit of the pressure off my back which also fits into the new bar/new stem mentality. I want to go with a 6 degree stem which I think will do nicely. The tires on my bike are brand new and which I want to swap them out for 25mm or 28mm (current tires are 23mm) I don't like wasting money so I'll stay with the current tires for now. Other than routine maintenance I think I am set for a while, very happy, and looking forward to getting in the miles.

Stay safe everyone and remember, the rubber side goes down :-)

Litespud

Sounds good. My first Litespeed was a Natchez, the predecessor of the Arenberg. It was a great bike and served me well until I found a deal on the Vortex which I couldn't turn down.

mstateglfr 

Roadies_Rok

Litespud Chapel Hill, NC huh? I knew I liked you. I go down to the Raleigh-Durham area 6 or 8 times a year and really love it down there in fact I have been thinking of moving there for a long time and one day I may just pull the trigger and do it. Stay safe my friend and keep the rubber side down :-)

mprince

Are you sure about those stem diameters? 31.8 is the standard bar diameter, the older standard is 26.0. The 25.4 sounds like the steer tube diameter if you have a 1" steerer, the next road bike step up is 1-1/8" (28.6mm). While there are a few bikes with 1-1/4" (31.8mm) steer tubes, I wouldn't expect yours to be one of them. I'd be surprised if you need a new stem for a bar swap, unless you want to change the diameter of your current bars.

chaadster

Are you sure they say “the puppy is in the can”?