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I rode a carbon-wonder-bike. I hated it.

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I rode a carbon-wonder-bike. I hated it.

Old 12-07-21, 02:57 AM
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base2 
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I rode a carbon-wonder-bike. I hated it.

Way back in mid-2015, I decided to pinch my pennies & fill up the ol' piggy bank to see what I could do about getting an über fancy carbon dream machine.

In early 2016, I had enough to lay down a deposit & several months later, I succeeded in becoming the owner of a 2016 Cervelo R5. It took nearly a year from dream to reality.

Man, I loved that bike. I rode it everywhere. By 2018 it garnered at least 6000 miles. Mountain passes, country roads, double century rides...You name it. That bike & I did it.

Then something happened & I put it on a hook in the back bedroom. We're coming up on 3 years now, & in all that time it has only netted 700 miles more. Half of those miles being split between just 2 rides in 2019.

Sad.

So tonight, I pulled it down off it's lonely hook. Stuck it on the Zwift & proceeded to flog it up the Alp duZwift. It was awful. I hated it. It was just a terrible work out. Nothing fit. Everything was in the wrong place. I can't believe I used to ride that bike...Lusted after it so. Simply put: The whole experience was just...well... a disappointment. It crystalized all the reasons that the bike had fallen into disuse.

I don't know what to do with it now. Should I put it back on the hook? Should I sell it? Should I trade the frame for the next size & move the parts over? It's obvious the "magic" is gone & has been for some time. I guess I just didn't want to believe it until now.


Has anyone here on BF ever had a "falling out" with a bike?
Do tell in the comment section below 👇

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Old 12-07-21, 03:29 AM
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I fell out of love with a few bikes over the years. I sold them all.
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Old 12-07-21, 03:57 AM
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I have for sure, usually because another bike came along. Fortunately, bikes don't get jealous and ruin your life when you trade them in for something "newer," which in my case several times meant getting a new frame and building it with the components harvested off the older bike.
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Old 12-07-21, 05:58 AM
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What are you riding now?

Is it possible it just sucks for Zwift? I've fallen out of love with bikes, but not so completely after putting in that many miles on it. I'm curious how you go from riding it double centuries to everything is in the wrong place. Not trying to argue, I just don't get it.
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Old 12-07-21, 06:23 AM
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Sell it. Move on.
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Old 12-07-21, 06:24 AM
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The bigger question is = do you really want to cycle?

if yes, go get a bike fit. To find out what works.
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Old 12-07-21, 06:26 AM
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There's no alimony, ditch it.
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Old 12-07-21, 06:33 AM
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Love the click-bait heading.
Haven't thought of that Gotye song for awhile, what a flash in the pan!

I'm in the same thought process now with my old MTB -- was a size too big when I bought it used. Old frame standard now with 135mm qr disc rear and 1/8" straight headtube. However the fork is a higher end airshock with 15mm thru, and I could transfer the slx 11speed drivetrain over to a new frame along with fork and cockpit/saddle. I have an extra 142mm rear wheel to use.

Strip or get rid of the bike, especially now that the sellers market is strong!
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Old 12-07-21, 06:53 AM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
What are you riding now?

Is it possible it just sucks for Zwift? I've fallen out of love with bikes, but not so completely after putting in that many miles on it. I'm curious how you go from riding it double centuries to everything is in the wrong place. Not trying to argue, I just don't get it.
Id like to blame it on Zwift also.
I have lots of nice rides and my Cervelo R3 is always a pleasure to pick.
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Old 12-07-21, 07:08 AM
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Is it the bike or the rider? Is the rider perhaps not conditioned to ride the bike? I have a bike which I need to be in good shape to ride, otherwise it’s uncomfortable. When I’m conditioned, though, the bike is a stormer!

Anyway, I wouldn’t sell it hastily. Selling is something some of us
never get over, but as noted above, of course the bike didn’t change, so you loving it is contingent upon some externality. Identify what that ist, determine is it coming back or not, then decide a course of action. An unpleasant stationary ride, up AdZ, does not strike me as a solid assessment.
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Old 12-07-21, 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Wildwood
The bigger question is = do you really want to cycle?

if yes, go get a bike fit. To find out what works.

I'm a bit unclear whether OP is saying he isn't riding much at all now or whether he's just not riding that particular bike. His avatar states he has "5 good" bikes.
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Old 12-07-21, 07:34 AM
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Clickbait title, then the switch later once the real info comes out.

If you hate it, sell it, or get a bike fit for your current physical condition and capabilities.
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Old 12-07-21, 07:40 AM
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Sounds like it is not the right bike for Zwift.
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Old 12-07-21, 07:59 AM
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I wonder if maybe the rider has gotten older and his proportions have changed ..... a Cervelo R can be pretty racy, and depending on how the OP set it up, it could demand a lot from the rider. Maybe the OP needs to raise the bars or something?

I have a Chinese clone of that bike --- I had to set it up with a tall stem so it doesn't look "right," but with a shorter, up-angled stem and its tall head-tube, it retains its raciness (sneeze and switch lanes, pedal and it is way down the road) while still being comfortable .... but if the OP doesn't need it, sell it..... it's a great market and he can buy a bike he likes better.
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Old 12-07-21, 08:00 AM
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Originally Posted by cb400bill
Sell it. Move on.

That's almost certainly the right advice, but I am curious how one goes from riding the hell out of a bike to "it doesn't suit me at all", implying that it never really suited him.

Does one learn that from riding something else or does on just stop riding?
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Old 12-07-21, 08:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
Sounds like it is not the right bike for Zwift.

That's my suspicion. Since the physics on Zwift are largely simulated, it's hard to see how the "wonder-bike" characteristics would really be experienced on Zwift.
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Old 12-07-21, 08:13 AM
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Had a Cannondale F700, late-'90s. Headshok, "buzzy" frame/fork on the road, not enough MTB performance to handle any but the least off-pavement effort. Wasn't for me. Sold it a couple years later to someone that wanted an interesting "city" bike that would stay on pavement only. I hope the person was happy with it. I wasn't really.
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Old 12-07-21, 08:26 AM
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I don't regularly ride on a trainer. However I do have one and sometimes use it. I've never liked riding the bikes I like to ride outdoors on the trainer. My position on a trainer is more like a cruiser style bike with the BB farther forward and the handlebars high so I can sit up. Way opposite of what my road bikes are.

So maybe if you rode that bike on the road you'd find out why you liked it before. Or maybe you've just gotten use to something different as you age.
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Old 12-07-21, 08:28 AM
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If you are riding zwift, its reasonable to assume you are actively riding other bikes and just hung the Cervelo up in order to use a different bike(s) more frequently. Given that, either adjust the Cervelo to make it fit you now or just sell it. You rode it twice in 2019 for 350 combined miles so just 2 years ago it fit you well enough to ride longer than most anyone else ever does. Seems like the fit could be adjusted unless there was a major life event in those 2 years that is keeping you from getting it to fit.

Or just sell it and keep riding whatever you enjoy riding right now. Its a bike, not an investment to hold onto as it appreciates.
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Old 12-07-21, 08:35 AM
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Road bike geometry really hasn't changed much over the years compared to the drastic changes in MTB geometry. Whatever the OP is riding now, I'm betting the geometry between the 2 bikes is almost the same give or take a few mm here and there...which will not be noticeable.

Much better version...from a band that isn't a one hit wonder.


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Old 12-07-21, 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
Road bike geometry really hasn't changed much over the years compared to the drastic changes in MTB geometry. Whatever the OP is riding now, I'm betting the geometry between the 2 bikes is almost the same give or take a few mm here and there...which will not be noticeable.

That's all kinds of absurd. Road bikes vary significantly in geometry. OP has at least 4 other bikes, and even if we assume they're all road bikes, there's no way for you to know whether he varied the geometry in his picks or didn't without asking him. You're just speculating based on nothing.
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Old 12-07-21, 09:34 AM
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"Mumble mumble mumble... then *something* happened and I put it on a hook... mumble mumble mumble... Should I trade the frame for the next size?"
How about you stop being cutesy, trying to make it about something that it's not, and actually talk about what your issue is? At this point, it sounds to me like life happened, you fell out of shape and now you want to blame it on an inanimate object.
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Old 12-07-21, 09:49 AM
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Well, the bike didn’t change. It fits and rides the same.

Typically a rider adapts to some degree regardless of the bike. Over time, especially time off that bike, people change. Perceptions change.

You saved up over a year to get that bike. Unless it was a complete dog, it was going to be the best thing you had ridden. You had invested too much and could easily overlook any minor flaws. I think it is human nature to do this.

You probably should take it out on the road and see if it brings back those magical moments. If it does keep it. If not, and you’re not attached to it anymore, sell it.

John
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Old 12-07-21, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
That's all kinds of absurd. Road bikes vary significantly in geometry. OP has at least 4 other bikes, and even if we assume they're all road bikes, there's no way for you to know whether he varied the geometry in his picks or didn't without asking him. You're just speculating based on nothing.
Nah. It's pretty safe assumption. Road bike geometry hasn't varied significantly much in the last 20-30 years. But whatever. He hates his bike now.

Last edited by prj71; 12-07-21 at 10:31 AM.
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Old 12-07-21, 10:45 AM
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In 2016 I bought a tight fitting outfit- it was great.

Recently I took it down off the hook and wore it. It was awful- nothing fit, everything was in the wrong place.

I looked in the mirror and it crystalized all the reasons it had fallen into disuse.
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