[Archaea]

Most of the stuff you can pick up now, if it's fairly recent is better than down tube shifting and clip-ons.

One Ebay, you can buy stuff dirt cheap that is lightyears better than what you could have purchased ten years ago.

Ride because it's fun. However, a good fit is more important than cost of gear. Sometimes the costly stuff feels better, but only after you know what to look for. If I had had costly stuff, not borrowed stuff, at first, I would not have known what to look for.

A funny story. Now I've been riding only fifteen months. However, when I do things, I tend to go crazy.

Well, my "friends" loose term there, thought it would be humorous to see me suffer on a three day stage race. Mind you, I had had three "rides" total. No miles whatsoever on my legs.

I borrowed an aluminum bike, with a woman's seat (big mistake) and suckered into it. It had four thousand feet of climbing the first day. After a couple of miles and the first surge I was dropped. So what was supposed to be a road race became a lonely, long time trial. I went 3h45min for a 58 mile race. Slow doesn't begin to describe my race. I suffered, and suffered. It ended with a one mile ten percent grade. I hated my friends.

Next day was worse. Third day, forget it.

Rule one. Don't trust friends when you're starting.

Rule two, buy a man's seat, not a woman's seat.

Rule three, get in shape a bit by yourself before riding, let alone racing.