Renewed appreciation for WalMart bikes.

[JohnV]

OK, so today was a gorgeous day with the temps in the 70's and no humidity. I went to my normal riding place and did a 43 mile ride, but that's not what this post is all about.

On my second lap, I'm moving along at around 17 mph when I look in my mirror and notice that there is a pace line coming around me. I notice that the guy up front is on a mountain bike and really moving to get out of their way. I'm thinking, "I'll slow down and let this guy on the mountain bike get around me so he can get out of their way." They all pass me and follow the guy on the mountain bike. Now I'm thinking, "Nah!, This can't be right." I fall behind them and switch to my large chain ring (I normally ride my middle ring) and put some speed on the bike to find out this guy is leading the pace line at around 24 mph on a not-so-new Next mountain bike. After my initial WTF, I dropped back and they just kept on riding without slowing down.

So now when people start to tell me about their fast, lightweight carbon bikes and how much faster it makes them go, I can tell them about this guy on a WalMart Next who's calves were bigger than my thighs and smoked me. Just more proof that it's definitely the engine and not the bike that makes up the speed.

[GeorgeET]

Ye 10-4 to the engine part.

BUT how would he do on a nice road bike?? I got both and find my road bike a faster easier ride than my MB on the beach bike path. I do not ride in the street. Its nice to have both, and you got to work harder with a MB, so before I got my vintage Fuji road bike I just said I get more exercise on a heavier bike. :-))

Nice ride 43 miles.

[JohnV]

George,

I don't know what kind of road bike you have, but this guy was in his early 40's on a WalMart Next MTB bike, leading a pace line and smoked me on my road bike. I could have understood if it were a Trek, Giant or some other higher end MTB, but a Next! He dropped my jaws, this morning. I'm definitely not going to trash WalMart bikes from now on.

[GeorgeET]

Hey when I was in my early 40's I could have beaten myself today on a Schwinn cruiser :-))

Here are my toys.

[JohnV]

So, I ran into the guy yesterday at one of the parking lots and stopped to talk to him about the fact that he smoked several riders on a mountain bike. Then I find out the frame is a Next but all the components are high end carbon and the drivetrain is all Shimano XTR Race components. He told me that he was a semi-pro MTB racer and he got tired of replacing busted up carbon frames so now he replaces the frames with cheap Next or Mongoose frames so when they need replacing, he isn't out a bunch of money.

Now, that explains the reason why the bike was so fast, but it didn't help with the fact that I got smoked by a mountain bike at 24 mph.

[Painkiller]

That poor guy needs a sponsor!