2-Click Shopping

    I almost hate how easy it is to buy on Amazon and eBay. I am a 2-click shopper: Find a desired item, click "Buy," click "Confirm." Done. Easy-peasy. Almost too easy. It does save me countless hours of bargain hunting at stores or on Craigslist. It also saves me the grief of having to deal with people out in the real world.
    My reason for this particular ramble? It just took me all of 4 minutes to hunt down, research, and buy a new trainer stand for my bike. I had browsed Craigslist a few times over the last year, knowing that my trainer is on its last leg. I have been dismayed that most people are wanting $100 or more. Not that they aren't worth it, but I really don't want to spend that much on a used piece of equipment, as well as having to deal with the person selling it. My total price for a brand new, in the box, decent model from a reputable dealer: $63.99 including shipping, and it will be on my doorstep in a week. I am totally okay with that. No muss, no fuss, and I won't even have to talk to the UPS driver.
    A few weeks ago I decided it was time to buy a new bike seat. I had gotten a little windfall and decided that I wanted to spend it on something I needed, not just paying a bill.. My seat has been been causing a variety of problems over the hours and hours I spend on it. I don't mind discomfort, but I was having issues with numbness and nerve damage to my delicate girly bit. It really had become a health issue. That is not cool. It had reached a point that I had cut back on my bike training. Also, not cool. I researched heavily, via the interwebs. I kept coming back to the split saddle, nose-less style that take pressure off of the perineum. The brand of choice is the ISM Adamo. After much back and forth on my part I decided on the Century model. New, this seat has a msrp of $189. I found it on eBay, in various bidding wars for about half of that. Being too impatient to work my way through various such bidding wars I went on Amazon and found one for $79 including S&H. 2-Click shopping. Done. The seat was on my front porch in 6 days. I will say, although installation is as easy as it comes, adjusting this thing has been a bit of a beast. The style is so different that I am having to tweak and tweak to get my seating position right. And then, it alters my bike position enough that it is making me have to do shorter rides as my muscles adapt. This is where my bike trainer issues are coming to the fore.
    I have torn apart and cleaned my trainer a few times, trying to keep it smooth. Over this last winter that has not been enough. I can feel it binding just a bit, so the spin is uneven. I can deal with that, mostly, I try to think of it as training for the unevenness of road riding. But it is getting worse over time. And then there is the squeal. Yeah, a continuous squeaking that can be hard to ignore sometimes. It has made my indoor training less that optimal at a time when I need to be increasing my hours in the saddle.
    I know that most people prefer to train outdoors. So do I, in most regards. But in my area I can't just hop on the bike and head out. The roads are too narrow, and heavily trafficked by log trucks, dump trucks, farm equipment, big 4x4s, and impatient commuters. There have been a number of cyclists hit on the roads around my house. So to ride, I load my bike and gear up in my car and drive about 15 miles to safer roads. Not possible on most days. And then there is the weather: rain and slick roads... not so much fun. Add in my my previous diagnosis of malignant melanoma (cut away and okay now, by the way), and I try to limit my time out in the sun if possible. All this being said, having a bike trainer that works well is paramount to my cycling success.
    Now comes the clincher: Meredith Kessler, Ironman Champion, cut 50 minutes off of her bike split when she switched to 90% indoor training. Seriously. She only does an outdoor ride "every other week." Yes, it is more fun to ride outside. The fresh air and varying terrain make for a great workout. Yes, outdoor training sessions are vital to success. But indoor training can be the best way to build cycling base, strength, and speed. A controlled environment with no distractions, specific workouts, and no life threatening hazards (you wouldn't believe the stories I have heard of triathletes getting hit by cars on training rides, losing limbs, head injuries, etc.... Not my gig, you know what I mean?).
    So, the new trainer is on the way. It should be here in a week. Until then I will continue with the grinding, squealing, old faithful that has seen me through thousands of hours of training. Yay for eBay and Amazon.