In reading the thread about bike fit, I was reminded about another closely related topic: choosing a bike.
I was in the market for a new bike, and after a lifetime of Target bikes, a REAL bike from an LBS seemed like a lofty goal. I hit the only LBS with a brand name I recognized - Trek. Though my money was as good as anyone else's, I was treated like a nuisance and not a paying customer. The guys in lycra with carbon drop-bar bikes were revered and respected as they clicked their way through the store. I was immediately steered to their basic 1.0 model of the comfort Navigator line in a remote corner of the store. They quoted me a price of several hundred dollars and left me to think it over. I left the shop feeling confused. I was willing to spend several hundred bucks but had only been given a curt introduction to the bike. I had no idea why they felt it was 'the' bike for me, and I wasn't even sure I liked how the bike felt. Was it really an improvement over my Target Schwinn? I hit Craigslist and found a Trek 7.6FX for sale. I bought it, and it was the nicest riding bike I'd ever had. But I was left with this nagging annoyance at being leaned forward with too much weight on my hands. i couldn't look up at the gorgeous bike path scenery. I was also very limited in my terrain, due to the skinny, high pressure tires on the bike. I had to tell my boys 'no' every time they asked to take a dirt road. I hit the internet, specifically a women's biking forum, who insisted that flat bars were horrid and drop bars were what I needed. I kept thinking (almost shamefully) that my upright bars on my old Target bike would be more comfortable, but I banished the thought because one isn't taken seriously when one prefers upright bars. The Specialized Ruby was being recommended over and over again. Its relaxed geometry and those comfortable drop bars were repeated like a mantra to me. I visited the Specialized LBS, who raved about the comfort of the Ruby. I wanted a bike that would pull a tag-along, and that I could put a rack on so I could haul stuff. People looked at me funny. They didn't know how any of that would jive with the bike. But they still sung the praises of the carbon Ruby. By now, I had gotten addicted to riding all over town to my son's school, on errands, and for pleasure. As the bike became more and more important to me, I got ready to make a purchase. I was THIS CLOSE to buying the carbon drop-bar bike because I believed the "experts" that this was a fantastic and comfortable bike that I would just LOVE. They knew what I wanted the bike for, and of my complaints of weight on hands, etc, and yet they arrived at this conclusion. They were totally ok with me shelling out almost 2k for a bike that would be ill-suited to my needs. One night I did an Amazon search of books on cycling. Grant Petersen's book lit up my screen. I saw a bike with upright bars on the cover. I saw lots of stars in the book reviews. I bought the book. Suddenly, the heavens opened and choirs of angels began to sing! He was talking about RACKS, and upright bars, and kickstands, and all manner of practical things that would aid me in using the bike around town! I went to his website, and as a lover of literature/writing myself, I was totally taken with him and his brand. I knew gold when I found it; and it was Rivendell. Shortly after, I cut some household expenses, sold the Trek (for more than I bought it for, BTW), and asked Keven if he had a Betty for me. He found one, had it built within a week, and my family jumped in the van to make the 5 hour trek to Riv HQ. I love my bike. It's exactly what I needed, and even what I WANTED. It's pretty, it's useful, and it's reliable. I shudder when I think of the nightmare that would have been pulling a tag-along on a drop bar carbon Ruby. Maybe some of you do that, but it would have been all wrong for me. And the point of my story is that nobody in the LBS stores cared that it was. I was excruciatingly specific in what kind of cyclist I was, but they still recommended a bike that was ill-suited for me. I'm so glad I have my Rivendell Betty Foy. Anyone else have a similar story? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
