Jennifer's bike is getting a lot of use--about 27 miles on the weekdays this week plus 19 from last weekend--and she's hoping to ride a lot during the summer. Two problems have come up, well, maybe three problems. The bike is heavy, the tires get a lot of friction on the road, and the newest problem is that the bike squeaks in rhythm with Jennifer's pedaling.
Last weekend, we went to two bike stores looking at road bikes. The "entry level" bikes are running $900+ for Trek, Cannondale, and Specialized. We've thought about used options, and Jennifer looked at LOTS of bikes on eBay this week. They now make bikes that are specifically designed for women, so the dimensions of the bike fit a woman's body better than the typical road bike, which is designed for a man's body. After last weekend's visits, we came to a few conclusions. Keith really wants Jennifer to get a women's bike, and he's very supportive of her spending that much money because he knows she loves to ride. Jennifer knows it's a lot of money to spend, and she's not totally convinced that she'll love riding stretched out like she would on a road bike.
All week, Jennifer has wavered between "I'll try something less expensive first" and "I'll just take the plunge and order a Trek." Since neither extreme has settled well, she's still talking about this drama.
This morning, Keith made a suggestion. What if we buy the $225 bike from Wal-Mart so you can ride it to make sure you like it. Then, Keith will ride the bike later if Jennifer gets the Trek. Jennifer LOVED the idea, but she wanted to shop around a little bit more.
We went to Dick's Sporting Goods first where Keith got his bike. There are absolutely NO road bikes with drop handlebars, and Jennifer insists on drop bars if she's getting a new bike. At the Wal-Mart on the other side of town, we thought we could get a better deal than the Wal-Mart in "Richville." We saw the bike, and it was $229. (The numbers are important later.) There were a few things we weren't crazy about in the way this bike was put together, so we thought we'd check out the other Wal-Mart. In "Richville," the same bike was priced at $199. Keith pointed out some rust in several places, and we noticed that the owner's manual had been wet at some point. It was put together well, so we were satisfied with the bike, but Jennifer wanted to see about a reduced price for the rust. It was surface rust, so Keith was pretty sure he could get it off. They offered 10% off, and we paid $179 before tax. The bike is a little big for Jennifer, but a good size for Keith. It's LIGHT, too!
We put our bike rack in the car this morning, so we knew we could load the bike up in the parking lot. But, then we started thinking about riding it home. We decided to do it. We inflated the tires with Jennifer's air pump from the car, and we removed all of the labels for the store. Jennifer put her cell phone in her pocket, tested the gears in the parking lot, and told Keith she'd meet him halfway home. When she got there, they traded car and bike, and Keith rode the bike home.
At home, we agreed that we both really enjoy our new bike! We planned to ride this afternoon already, so we loaded up the bike rack, and put our new Schwinn on along with Keith's mountain bike. We went out to Barrington Hall, where Jennifer lived in her first apartment, and we parked the car in their lot. We rode through the neighborhood and decided to see what was at the end of the road. We found another road that seemed really quiet, so we wanted to check it out. Jennifer had a relaxed ride while Keith worked hard at some moments, but Jennifer enjoyed having the roles reversed for a change since she is usually the one working hard. By the time we got back to the car, we had gone over 14 miles!
We're both happy with our purchase, and we like that Keith will be able to ride the bike when Jennifer decides on an upgrade.
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