I don’t need a new bike if I’m considering tackling RAGBRAI, do I?

The Tommaso Sentiero shown above sounds like a good choice per se. It has a wide range of gears; and pre-drilled holes for attaching bottle cages and racks. It’s also equipped with disc brakes for good stopping power in all weathers. The wide tires help with stability.

This bike’s capacity for racks makes it good for commuting and touring. That’s a plus for RAGBRAI, as long as I don’t overload the panniers! I’ll want to keep things like a jacket and Chamois Butt’r handy; and it would be nice if I could do it without having a load on my back all day, every day!

The Tommaso Sentiero comes in sizes for riders from 5’2″ to 5’11”. And there’s the first catch for me: I’m barely five feet tall. Another catch is that the Small size weighs 25.9 pounds; and that’s several pounds heavier than the road bike I already have. RAGBRAI has hills; therefore getting a heavier bike seems crazy, even if it could be adjusted to a proper fit for me.

Speaking of fit, if you’re between sizes: go down a size if you want a more upright riding position. Going up a size provides a more aggressive, racing-type position.

Getting back to bicycle weight: my road bike has only two chain rings; and this bike has three. The Tommaso would give me a 30-tooth small ring, while my current road bike’s small ring has 34 teeth. Would the smaller ring help with climbing; and offset this bicycle’s greater weight?

A new bike would, of course, require considerable expense. And like most people, I have limited space; so having a third bicycle might cramp me too much.

But there’s plenty of time before RAGBRAI 2024. I don’t have to make my bicycle choice immediately. If I do go for this one it’ll set me back 

$844.99