u/GANDHIWASADOUCHE

In a few weeks I’ll turn 12 and I figured that was a perfectly reasonable excuse to buy a real bike.
So I picked up this brand-new-in-box Buffy Spider-Man 20-inch from Amazon at what can only be described as a ridiculous bargain (it was $67.49 with Prime and they threw in free stickers).

The original plan was simple: buy the bike, wait until my birthday, then ride it like an actual almost-teenager.

That plan lasted like four minutes.

Before I even took all the plastic off I already upgraded it with these AmazonCarbon “road” wheels that look sick in the pictures, 2.125” tires that the listing said were for “performance,” a RGB gaming saddle I found that has a little web pattern if you look close, bottle cages that are supposed to be titanium-look, LED wheel lights, a Bluetooth speaker for the theme song, and a phone mount so I can film the first ride for YouTube.

Was upgrading a bike I haven’t even sat on yet a smart decision?

Lowkey no.

Was I gonna do it anyway?

I already hit Buy Now on my mom’s account (I paid her back I swear, I did extra dishes and everything).

The really ridiculous part is I still haven’t ridden it. Not because of weather. Not because of school. Not because anything’s broken.

I’m just not 12 yet.

Like the bike would know. Peter Parker didn’t even get bit until he was older than me so I feel like I have to wait. It would be disrespectful.

To make it even worse I couldn’t leave the pictures alone. I spent like six hours using AI to turn our garage into some professional bike studio in New York, removed every single box and the lawn mower, added perfect lighting, and put the Daily Bugle in the background. I even made the welds look shinier even though I’m pretty sure they’re just blobs.

Now I keep wandering into the garage for no reason, touching the Spider-Man decals really carefully, spinning the wheels because they make that cool clicking sound, checking the tire pressure I checked eleven minutes ago, and staring at the pictures I already edited like twenty times.

The bike is ready.

The sidewalk is ready.

I’m ready.

The calendar is the only thing holding this whole project back.

Until then this web-slinging rocket stays on the launch pad, fully upgraded, AI-edited until it doesn’t even look like our house anymore, and with exactly 0.0 miles on it. No cap.

Coming from a Forerunner 970, the MIP display in the sunlight is a game changer. Battery lasts forever, looks way better, more features, solar rechargeable, the list goes on.

Got it used in pristine condition for $700 to boot. This should last me a good long time.

I got a $400 bike fit a few weeks ago and the main piece of advice I got from the fitter was to rotate/roll my pelvis forward as much as possible. This gave me pretty bad hand numbness and perineum pressure as well as hip impingement symptoms. I’ve found that by rotating my pelvis back more, I get less pressure, no sore hands and no hip impingement symptoms, but I do get tightness in my scapula. I find it basically impossible to have my hips rotated back and try to retract my scapula at the same time so it seems to be one or the other.

Are my low or upper back too rounded? Should I follow the advice of the fitter and roll forward more and try to straighten near my scapula and have my lower back more in a straight line?

Ever since the update the amount of lag I experience on my fold 7 when opening the control center or notification center is unbelievable. Hopefully they fix it soon it was never laggy at all, now sometimes it hangs for 2+ seconds when trying to open it. On main or cover screen doesn't matter.

What a shame.

Just found out about this brand. Anyone try their kit? Seems to be pretty well priced, but I'm curious about the quality. I like high quality gear that holds up. Willing to pay more for it. Let me know your thoughts.

Absolutely love this bike but I can't seem to find a comfortable position on it. Coming from an Allez to this 2026 Pro size 54 with no adjustability to the handlebars is kind of jarring. I'm 5 foot 8 and from everything I see I should be able to get a good fit but I haven't found it.

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I get pretty bad numb hands/fingers and my shoulders are tight in between. I see people say to move the seat back and forth until you can take your hands off the bars without falling but there is no saddle position that allows me to do that. I am always falling forward. I've experimented with it slammed all the way back and all the way forward and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Still numb hands and sore shoulders.

I've been training pretty hard and dieting since Late January. Basically gone all in with cycling. My weight has decreased from 206lbs to 176lbs as well as my cardiovascular output increasing, but still hurts to see my VO2 max so low in comparison to others my age. For reference I am a 28yo male with a background in weightlifting but never much into cardio.

Gotta keep working at it I guess!

New kit.

Based on suggestions from this sub I sized the jersey down to a medium. I really love the look of this jersey. The colors look really nice in person and it has a nice faded look to it. I was surprised how see-though it is compared to some of my other jerseys. I worry that I may end up getting sunburnt through it in the summer months. The desert sun is absolutely diablocial in the summer. It's very snug fitting and I enjoy the zipper pocket in addition to the 3 standard back pockets. The arms are a bit tighter than I would prefer but not a deal breaker. I also don't really like how the zipper is backward compared to most American zippers. It's also fairly difficult to seat initially to begin the zip-up.

Bibs stayed sized medium from Assos Mille GTO C2. The Equipe are significantly more compressive as well as slightly shorter at the leg. I was worried they wouldn't fit me actually. The chamois is also much shallower on the Equipe, and slightly denser. Need more time with them to determine which I'll end up enjoying more.

For reference I am 28yo, 5 foot 8, 180lbs(172cm 81kg).

Planning to drop another 10lbs (4.5kg) over the next few months as well.

Curious if anyone has tried both Assos and MAAP and can share thoughts on the fit, style, comfort and construction of the jerseys. I have Assos bibs and was leaning toward their jerseys but would be open to other brands if they're better. Or maybe another brand altogether?

Size medium for reference.

Just upgraded from a 2026 Allez Comp to the 2026 Tarmac SL8 Pro w/ SRAM.

Crazy how different these bikes feel. Same size, but much different positioning when riding, and a huge difference in their perceived capabilities.

The tarmac is just such a fast, compliant ride. The way it puts power down and doesn't seem to have any delay in its responsiveness vs the Allez is truly eye opening. The electronic shifting is also much nicer than the mechanical, and the hood shape / brake feel is also much improved with SRAM Force. I also think this color looks absolutely amazing in person; photos don't do it justice.

Got the Tarmac on sale for $5900 (30% off). Couldn't be happier.

Anyone else have a similar upgrade?

Also, the tarmac has an integrated power meter. Should I sell my Assioma Duos and just use the crank power meter?