Standard garage door bike picture
I bought a new bike for my 56th birthday. It's a stock Trek Madone 5.2, except for the Dura Ace 180 mm cranks. True, I already had an awesome bike, but it was nearly 10 years old with over 20,000 miles. Time marches on, and here are a few of the improvements in bicycle technology over that time:
- They finally make a full carbon frame in 64 cm size!
- The sloping top tube makes the main triangle smaller and more rigid
- All tubes are custom-shaped - no more round tubes
- The head set is oversize and longer
- The seat stays are thinner to save weight
- The chain stays are asymmetric (one side thicker, one side thinner)
- The seat post is now part of the frame
- The frame at the bottom bracket is HUGE and has NO FLEX
- Brake and shifter cables are routed inside the frame
- The handlebar tubing is larger diameter and more comfortable
- The handlebar drop is not as deep
- The brake hoods are wider and more comfortable
- The wheel lugs and dropout are seamless with the frame
- The shift levers are now carbon fiber
- Bladed spokes front and back are more aerodynamic
- Pedals are wider with replaceable wear plates
- Compact crank has wider gear range than before, but with less weight
- The rear cassette has 10 cogs now instead of 9 - more gears!
DuoTrap sensor/transmitter
A small magnet attached to one of the rear spokes measures speed, and another on the crank arm measures cadence. Very cool, and no wires!
For a frame as stiff as this one, the ride is very compliant. Comfortable. I guess that's the reason for the all the non-round computer-shaped tubes. I set up this bike to be very much like my old bike, except the handlebars are just slightly higher. Not quite as aero, but a lot more comfortable. Comfort. That's going to be important during my next 10 years of cycling.
1 comments:
I pretty much know nothing about bikes. But it looks pretty cool to me. Have fun!
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