once upon a time, many months ago, craig and i decided we wanted bikes more than anything. we thought this so completely that we went to walmart and bought giant, heavy, inexpensive bikes that didn't quite fit in our trunk and made us miserable. craig's was black and big and looked so fancy but it was hard to carry up 3 flights of stairs, the massive handle bars made it difficult to transport, and he hated the way it felt when he tried to ride it for reals. mine was beautiful and blue and a standard 26" women's bike, but even with the seat as low as it could go my feet couldn't touch the ground. i didn't feel entirely comfortable on a bike that i would have to throw myself off of in order to stop in an emergency traffic situation. so we called it quits, returned our bikes and kept all of our accessories [except my helmet] and dreamed of a day when the perfect bikes would find their way into our lives.
[my first bike. pretty. but useless...]
we've thought about bikes a lot. we've looked at bikes, we've envied bikes, we've blanched at the price of bikes. we've even come close to getting some "real" bikes a time or two but i insisted we pass them up. i didn't have a good reason, i just didn't feel ready to relive the stressful horror of before. and i'm glad we waited. last weekend craig and i discussed the possibility of getting used bikes that didn't need to be fixed up, paying a little more for something we could ride right away. i, for the first time, decided to do some research to find out what we wanted. and it was like the heavens opened. the answer wasn't in a used bike, it was in the RIGHT bike.
craig wants bikes so we can ride them to work if we want but even more so that HE can ride his to work when baby squirt gets here. we have one working car and no inclination of getting another until we're millionaires. i've been picturing me as a stay at home mom locked within the confines of my apartment while craig takes our car four miles to work everyday. craig had a better idea, as always, and we romanticized about him saving money and getting exercise every day by biking to work when the baby comes and leaving the car with me on normal days. the bikes end up paying for themselves in gas money eventually and we are so close to work that it feels a shame to start up a car and drive every day, especially on nice days. so, bikes cost money, but save money. we came to terms with getting what we pay for and craig has been saving up for REAL bikes ever since we took the old ones back. now we just needed to find what we wanted.
google told me everything i needed to know. i thought for the longest time i wanted a cruiser but i was always disturbed by the size and weight of cruisers and it turns out they're not really designed to go long distances with little effort. what craig and i wanted for commute and occasional leisurely riding were hybrid bikes. craig should have a performance type hybrid, a bike that takes very little effort to go long distances and works well on path and pavement. i wanted more of a comfort bike, takes a little more effort but designed to sit comfortably, not inclines or with bars up high, and i'm actually much more in favor of a bike that doesn't go careening into oblivion, like craig's bike would [does]. i like the added resistance and control and since i won't be commuting with it as often i feel it's a much more appropriate bike for a fun day ride or a trip to the library. plus comfort hybrids are way cuter, and i am vain.
we took a trip to the bike shop on wednesday. we found my bike. it's a bike with a women's frame but smaller wheels, it actually weirded the bike shop people out when they first got it in but it was PERFECT for me. the seat sits down MUCH lower than the handle bars so i can reach the ground no problem, and the frame has a fancy little downward shwoosh so my stubby legs can actually step over it.
craig bike is a super fancy, super light hybrid that makes him look so tall and makes him go so fast. he love it. he tried a comfort bike like mine and preferred the lower resistance and the thinner tires of his bike. i think we both left with our perfect bike. and a membership that gives us ten percent back in store credit of whatever we buy. cha-ching. oh, and did i mention starting the day we went in all bikes were on sale? we saved $300. let me say that again. we saved $300. perfect timing. now i just need a helmet.
