New Bike?

Did anyone watch CSI on Thursday? I didn't, but I downloaded the torrent. It opened with a group of cyclists on road bikes (several Tarmacs and at least one Cannondale Six) zooming through a park, in matching red baggy shirts. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone? Unfortunately though the episode had nothing to do with cycling, though the almost-dead kid at the end was on a bike.

I was riding home from work at lunchtime and on York Road (according to Google maps) I had a close call. There's a junction where motorists pull out in front of me. I'm not sure why it happens here more than other places, but it really does seem to. I usually sit up and stare at them to make sure they've seen me, and make sure they know I've seen them see me so they can't pretend they haven't, and I keep pedalling. Usually they stop and look at me, annoyed for claiming my right of way. Today, this guy saw me, stopped, thought he could get across before I got there and started moving, realized I was going faster than he though, and stopped - right in my path. No big deal - happens all the time. I swerved and grabbed the front brake, and the cable snapped. As Amy would put it - the layers stayed in order (ground, bike, rider - when they get out of order there's trouble). I walked Jake home, then to the bike shop (walking is sooooo slow) to get new cables.
I got Jake last December. I had my Specialized Stumpjumper stolen from outside work at the end of November (I remember when as it was my birthday). I was living with Mum and Dad in Cow Bay at the time, and riding to work of course. I got a mountain bike because I could only afford one bike and wanted to go mountain biking, but that hadn't happened, so Brian said a cyclocross bike would be best. When I heard the shop were carrying Specialized, I decided on a blue Tricross, but they couldn't get them for three months, maybe more. So my only choices in my size were a Norco CCX (like Amy's got) or a Kona Jake. Spec wise, the Jake won, and I didn't care for the orange. Brian quoted me $900, then billed me $949 and gave me a $50 discount (you didn't think I noticed, did you?).

From March to July (before I got Stumpy), I'd been riding a old green box-store mountain bike (one size fits all - as long as you're 6'2") that Chuck gave me. There was a back brake, but it only had one brake pad. I think it said "Free Spirit" on it. The last three weeks riding that bike were with severely bent top and down tubes from riding into a ditch in the middle of the night when a driver blinded me with his full-beams. I did notice an improvement in the riding position after the ditch incident though. One hundred and fifty days at 20 km per day makes about 3000 km on that thing.
For the three week period between Stumpy and Jake, my transportation was this pink mountain bike that was trying to be a cruiser (or the other way around?) that Mum picked up from an auction for $40 (ie. way too much). I covered it in blue and red duct tape. I hated it with a passion, so Jake felt like the coolest bike in the world, as you can imagine.
And Jake kept feeling great. I hated the stock saddle, and went through 5 since, and I'm still not sure I've found one that works. I sometimes get lower back ache, but that happened on my mountain bike too, so I didn't think it was the bike, but since I slid the saddle forward that's gone away on the mountain bike. It's better than it was on Jake since I slid the saddle forward, but I still get back ache. The stem is 80mm, so I can't really go shorter, so I've come to the conclusion that Jake's too big. Also, my shoulders ache and I think I need narrower bars.

I test rode a Specialized Dolce a few weeks ago. It had "women's specific geometry" (note to self: write post about "women's" bikes), and had a 506 mm (effective) top tube, compared to Jake's 532mm, and also had short reach (and narrower) bars. It definitely felt better. No back or shoulder ache. But I couldn't believe how fast it was. And it's not a top-of-the-line bike. Far from it - it's the cheapest road bike Specialized make (with the cheapest parts package). I think the tires make a huge difference (Jake's got heavy, thick tires on at the moment), but the thin, light tires mean more punctures. Jake's gunked-up drive train is probably slowing him down considerably (the drive train is the other reason for replacing Jake - chain stretch and sprocket wear mean the whole drive train needs replacing - says Brian. That was about 3k ago, and I haven't felt it slip yet.)
I can't afford a new bike yet, but I know it will take me several months to explore my options and decide on one, so I'd better start now. Anyway, the choosing is the fun part. I love checking out websites, comparing specs and geometry charts, reading reviews and forums.
But before I can decide on a bike, I need to decide what sort of bike I want. Yes, a road bike obviously, but there is no longer just a "road bike". Everyone has been catered for: tourers, recreational road riders, couriers, racers, time trialists, track racers, commuters, and the list goes on.
Do I want a $3000 bike with a carbon fiber frame, lightweight wheelset and Ultegra groupset? Should I get a low end bike like the Dolce? Should I get a cyclocross bike? Touring bike? Or buy a frame and build up a custom bike?
The expensive carbon jobby probably wouldn't be a good idea, as I would break it. If I bought a $1000 bike, such as that Dolce, I could replace it every year or two, and it would still cost me less than the fancy, expensive bike. I didn't like the cheap Sora shifters though, and worry how reliable/durable the cheaper parts will be. A cross bike would be durable and I could use it for cyclocross too, but they don't come in smaller sizes, and have longer top tubes for their sizes, as they're meant for short, 'all-out' races. Touring bikes are too heavy. Custom bikes are expensive, and would mean a whole load more decisions (and rambling, long blog posts).
This is going to take a while. Let's hope Jake holds on for a bit longer.