Sunday, July 17, 2011
Today marks one week since Erik was killed in a cycling accident.  Today is also the day that friends, colleagues, and family with gather in Winston-Salem to celebrate his life, share stories, and drink Heineken.  Since I am 1) on call, and 2) in Indiana, I won't be there, and I won't be drinking Heineken.  So I thought I'd pay homage to Erik by doing a gear post about something he and I both love:  the Trek Madone. 

Mine looks like this:


His looked kinda like that, except more manly and about twice as tall.

When I got my Madone about 3 years ago, it was a significant upgrade from my previous road bike, a used and too-small trek 1500.  There was nothing wrong with m old bike, but I made some extra money working over the summer, and had an opportunity to get a new bike at a really great deal, so I jumped on the chance.

The Trek Madone 5.2 (2009) is a full carbon fame with Ultegra SL components and Bontrager race Lite wheels.  I've kept pretty much everything stock except the handlebar tape, which I switched to teal. 

Not having much experience with other full carbon bikes, I can't really compare it to anything else.  But I can say that I love it!  Other than the fact that its light and snazzy looking and riding smooth, the thing I like most it the geometry.  I have a long torso and short legs, so standard geometry means that standover height limits how big a frame I can get, and the top tube length is pretty much universally too short for me.  The WSD geometry has a sloping top tube, giving a larger frame size a shorter standover height.  My Madone is a full two sizes larger than my previous bike and is WAY more comfortable! 

The other thing it does very well is climb.  I'm a horrible climber.  But with the Madone, I can at least make it up pretty much any mountain without rolling backwards!!  In NC, this was important.  I needed to know that even if I was totally spent, I could get home through the rolling hills without falling over on the side of the road.  Now, living in IN, I don't think this will be as big of a problem...

So there you have it.  I love my Madone 5.2  I don't think at my level, anything more expensive would make a bit of difference in my riding.  But there is definitely a difference between an old aluminum frame and a solid carbon fiber bike.

And since this is a tribute gear post to Erik (which, PS, I DID start on Friday night during his wake), I'll leave you with this.  When he got his used, new-to-him Madone we talked about going for a ride together.  I said he'd have to take it easy on me because he'd be way faster with his ridiculously long Scandinavian legs.  His response: "You know, you'd think that'd be the case.  But it's become clear that they provide absolutely NO kinetic advantage."

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About Me

I am a Family Medicine intern at a community hospital in Indiana, navigating the new world of being a physician. I am privileged to work in a field I love, where every day is a new and unpredictable challenge.
I am not only a doctor, but also a cyclist, runner, DIYer in the making, lover of the outdoors, traveler, and human.
Human, MD is a glimpse into the world of a young doctor who is just trying to stay true to herself through the grueling whirlwind of residency.

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