SWBKRUN Mentor Group-"Off Season?" What is that?!! (Page 140)

May God Bless our Military , where ever they may be!
They protect our Country for our Freedom.

Thanks To them, and their sacrifices,
we can celebrate the 4th of July!


We must never forget who gets the credit for the freedoms we have,
of which we should be Eternally grateful.

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine Saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..

I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square
And eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves ?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant 'Amen,'
When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard at the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington,
No, freedom isn't free.


Enjoy Your Freedom
& God Bless Our Troops

Please stop for a moment and
Say a Prayer for our servicemen & women.
Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier,
Prayer is the very best One!

They had to pick another day because all of the Mondays and Fridays were already taken with other holidays.

Not great, but I'm ok with them considering the month I had.  That was the most miles biked in any one month ever - I'm within 25ish miles of last year's total miles biked and have logged about 22% of my YTD miles since getting the new bike last Friday.  I'm hoping to start ramping up running distance now that my foot (I'm claiming it again, no longer "the foot") seems to be doing much better. 

Is swimming still part of Triathlon?  I might want to look into that this month

Hey guys!  Sorry I haven't been around much (but you seem to do just fine without me) - I took last week off work and wasn't online much.  This week is the end of the fiscal year for us, so also a bit busy.  I need your help, or your opinions at least.  I've been looking at bikes on ebay and have found one that I'm considering bidding on.  I've never bought anything through ebay before so not exactly sure how that works, but I guess I'll figure it out as I go.  Anyway, the bike is a 2006 Specialized Roubaix Elite with Ultegra components and it's my size.  Right now it would be about $700 with the shipping, although I know it may go up during the next day or so before the auction ends.  My question is, is this a good price for this bike even if I have to go a little higher?  The newer ones I've been looking at at the LBS are $700-$1000 but with lower grade components so is this good even though it's a little older because it has the better components?  Any opinions?
Janet

The 2009 Roubaix Elite has an MSRP of $2200.  I would say $700 is a great price (assuming it is in good condition), but would expect it to go higher as the auction nears its end (ask Tony about this)

I would buy from the LBS.  The more I mess around with bikes, the more convinced I am that the LBS's slightly higher prices than the internet and other sources are worth it.  Service is the name of the game at the end of the day.  More important than a slight upgrade in components is the fit.  You buy at the LBS and they will fit the bike to you - something that you really can't do too well by yourself.  They will also tweak the adjustments for you over time.  You will also find them more than willing to do little repairs (tighten spokes, adjust derailleurs, etc) for you quickly and for free.  I first tried to find a bike on ebay and craigslist.  There are very few deals out there, even on used bikes.  Ebay tends to be a pretty efficient market and I would be suprised if the price did not jump at the end of the auction (like Matt was talking about).

-Andy

PS - welcome back!

Had that thought as well.  However, you had better pack it well, UPS is not gentle on their merchandise.  I think they have contests to see how far they can throw boxes....

Thanks for the opinions guys, I really appreciate it.  After talking with some other people also, I think I'm going to pass on this.  Besides the fact that the price will probably go up over the next 24 hours (auction ends tomorrow), it appears that the bike has had some modifications made to it (not being a bike person I didn't notice, but they did).  I think I'd be better off just getting something from the LBS.  That way I know exactly what I'm getting and they're nearby if I need help with anything. 

So one other question then.  If I get a bike from the LBS it will probably have to be something that has either Sora or Tiagra components.  I know they're not the best, but since I'm only planning to do short distance tris for the next year or so, they should be OK, right? 

Think of the components you are talking about being regular old Toyota's and Honda's.  The upgrades you mentioned are Lexus and Acura and of course there are more expensive ones than that even.  Those components will be more than adequate for your needs.  Unless you are on the level of Doug or Tony, it is the human drive train that is the limiting factor - that is definitely the case for me!

Both Sora and Tiagra will work just fine.  The main difference is that you are only able to shift the Sora one direction from the drops.  Rather than having both shifters in the brake lever, they shift one direction w/ the brake lever and the other w/ a switch by your thumb when on the hoods.