Well, it's new to me

My Dad (or somebody’s Dad, I forget) always said “You don’t need to be rich, you just need to have rich friends”. How else could someone of my questionable standing in the community and limited means get to watch FSU football games in a skybox? And so it is now with my new (to me) bike. Luckily for me, Alan has always got to have the latest and greatest equipment and technology. So when he built a Trek Project One 29er on line and picked it up at the LBS, he had to get rid of his 5 year old Gary Fisher HiFi Plus 29er. I guess I can’t legitimately claim that I couldn’t afford this bike new, just that it would never occur to me to spend that much on a bicycle (I’ve bought serviceable cars for less). My primary reasoning, other than having parents that lived through the Depression, is that a rider of my ability is not capable of knowing, or more importantly, taking advantage of, the difference between a $5,000 bike and a $500 one. An expensive ride can obviously save you several pounds. But I could theoretically (emphasis definitely mine) lose several pounds easier and cheaper than buying a better bike. So, anyway, now I have this bike that is way beyond my abilities. The biggest downside for me is that I won’t be able to use the bike as an excuse for my poor performance. Having run and ridden for many years, I have a vast repertoire of other excuses.