I finally paid off and have brought home the bike that I put a deposit on back in June.
I wanted a bike, I've been craving bike riding for over a year. I live in a lovely place with light traffic so bike riding feels like heaven. In June I went to the local bike shop owned by the nicest people, the same shop where I purchased my first adult bike back when I was a teenager.
My first adult bike was a pretty 3-speed cruiser, yellow, with hand and foot brakes. I bought a head and tail-light that turned on with a generator that was powered by the wheel of the back tire turning round.
Unfortunately the next decade racing bikes took over the industry. Racing bikes and those horrible have to bend down over them ram handle bars, and foot pedals that were metal hooks that you certainly could not ever push with bare feet, and you were too far off the ground to stop the bike both feet on the ground, either, teetering balancing at stop signs. It was all too much for me.
The decade after that mountain bikes took over the industry. More comfortable handle bars, tires that griped the road, hope took hold of me. But one ride on a mountain bike and I was a spattered mess, covered all over with wet mud from no fenders or chain guard. Filthy mess, I was discouraged again.
I longed for my lovely first 3-speed sunny yellow cruiser of years long gone by. I rode for miles on that bike. I'm pretty sure I put on 40-50 miles a day on that bike one summer. And it was all lovely and relaxing and fun.
So encouraged by recent bike blogs of people talking about the "Mary Poppins effect" of cars treating bikers more respectfully riding through the city in normal clothes on normal old-fashion cruiser bikes I went to the bike store and put down a deposit on the prettiest most romantic looking bike I could find.
Here is the picture of the basic bike for $450, before all the extras pushed the price up to $500. A 2010 Trek Pure DLX Lowstep. Add fenders, add back rack, add front wicker basket, and headlight and water bottle carrier and I have the bike of my dreams. What do you think?
For exactly the same price I could have purchased the prettier and geek-factor cooler automatic computer-electric 3-speed gear shift, 2008 Giant Suede Coasting bike. Basic cost was $450, add fenders, rear rack with panniers, front headlight bag and water bottle holder brings it to $500. I'd sort of like to have both bikes but I'm not that rich yet.
p.s. I've valued both these bikes and it seems like loaded with all the extras mentioned above both bikes are worth closer to $1000. So honestly I got a good deal, and those extras really help the value of the bike It seems I'm part of a recent wave of people who have longings for these romantic, sturdy bikes. They are useful; take them to the local farmers market and bring home oodles of goodies, sightsee the open country roads and small towns, bring along a picnic.
I wanted a bike, I've been craving bike riding for over a year. I live in a lovely place with light traffic so bike riding feels like heaven. In June I went to the local bike shop owned by the nicest people, the same shop where I purchased my first adult bike back when I was a teenager.
My first adult bike was a pretty 3-speed cruiser, yellow, with hand and foot brakes. I bought a head and tail-light that turned on with a generator that was powered by the wheel of the back tire turning round.
Unfortunately the next decade racing bikes took over the industry. Racing bikes and those horrible have to bend down over them ram handle bars, and foot pedals that were metal hooks that you certainly could not ever push with bare feet, and you were too far off the ground to stop the bike both feet on the ground, either, teetering balancing at stop signs. It was all too much for me.
The decade after that mountain bikes took over the industry. More comfortable handle bars, tires that griped the road, hope took hold of me. But one ride on a mountain bike and I was a spattered mess, covered all over with wet mud from no fenders or chain guard. Filthy mess, I was discouraged again.
I longed for my lovely first 3-speed sunny yellow cruiser of years long gone by. I rode for miles on that bike. I'm pretty sure I put on 40-50 miles a day on that bike one summer. And it was all lovely and relaxing and fun.
So encouraged by recent bike blogs of people talking about the "Mary Poppins effect" of cars treating bikers more respectfully riding through the city in normal clothes on normal old-fashion cruiser bikes I went to the bike store and put down a deposit on the prettiest most romantic looking bike I could find.
Here is the picture of the basic bike for $450, before all the extras pushed the price up to $500. A 2010 Trek Pure DLX Lowstep. Add fenders, add back rack, add front wicker basket, and headlight and water bottle carrier and I have the bike of my dreams. What do you think?
For exactly the same price I could have purchased the prettier and geek-factor cooler automatic computer-electric 3-speed gear shift, 2008 Giant Suede Coasting bike. Basic cost was $450, add fenders, rear rack with panniers, front headlight bag and water bottle holder brings it to $500. I'd sort of like to have both bikes but I'm not that rich yet.
p.s. I've valued both these bikes and it seems like loaded with all the extras mentioned above both bikes are worth closer to $1000. So honestly I got a good deal, and those extras really help the value of the bike It seems I'm part of a recent wave of people who have longings for these romantic, sturdy bikes. They are useful; take them to the local farmers market and bring home oodles of goodies, sightsee the open country roads and small towns, bring along a picnic.
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