Many years ago we moved into a new house and started becoming friends with our neighbors.  They were pretty serious about road biking, so I pulled my old bike out of the garage and started joining them on rides.  In the months and years leading up to this, my bike and I were comfortable going out for 10 or 15 mile rides.  This group considered 15 miles a warm up… my bike and I were out of our league.  But I enjoyed the challenge, and soon set my sights on doing a Century Ride (100 miles) with them.

In order to accomplish this, I needed to increase my endurance and upgrade my bike.

I tend to solve problems by doing research and creating spreadsheets.  Lots of research.  And tons of spreadsheets.  It’s a very logical process that I enjoy doing.  I researched bike companies to see which ones made good bikes that were lightweight and durable.  I looked into which frame material would provide the smoothest ride, and I read up on the different brands of components to see what other riders liked.  And of course I tried to calculate some cost/benefit analysis of it all.

After too much research I narrowed it down to the bike I thought I wanted.  A carbon fiber Trek Madone (the same brand Lance Armstrong rode… but of course his was much better than mine).

Towards the end of my search, I heard the most enlightened idea.  I don’t remember who said it, but it was a simple concept that proved to be more powerful and useful than all the combined research I did.  The wise person said “Get the bike that makes you want to ride it.  You’ll know you got the right bike if you see it hanging in your garage and it makes you want to go out for a ride.”  So I got the most beautiful blue Trek Madone they made.  And I put well over 1,000 miles on that bike and I loved every single one of them.

We at the Martin Worley Group often talk about combining our logical and emotional sides in order to make the best decisions. 

Truly great decisions are not just logical.  I probably would not have ridden my bike as much if it didn’t captivate me when I looked at it.

Truly great decisions are not just emotional.  I would have hated riding a beautiful bike that didn’t meet my technical requirements.

At the intersection of well-founded logic and raw emotion is the sweet spot for great decision making.  We’ll never apologize about trying to dig deep with our clients regarding their emotional feelings, nor will we shy away from bringing strong analysis into the discussion.  Because in the end, we just want to help you get the bike that will make you want to ride.