Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Test Riding A Different Bike

As our first event in the Let's Go Ride A Bike Summer Games we jumped at the idea to “test ride a different bike” which for us would be commuter bikes.  Both A and I have had a love of bikes since our youth. My order of bike ownership started of course with the tricycle, moving on to a banana bike, 3 speed, 10 speed, mountain bike, and then to my current two bikes.  I have a 1999 Cannondale hybrid bike and a 2006 Cannondale road bike.  Bike riding has been a love of mine from the start.  It ranges from being either for fun or form of exercise.  I am just as happy riding my bike 1 mile or 100 miles and I know A would agree with that.  We've had off and on discussions regarding bike commuting over the years.  We like the idea and have made some trips by bike for the sole purpose of not using our car, and of course getting to spend some extra time with our bikes.  Her most recent trip was made on a day off she took a couple of weeks ago.  I have made a few trips to the grocery store, as well as the post office, the coffee shop, and a friend’s house in the past couple of years.  Although they are minimal I felt happier on each trip. 



That being said we decided to meet after work last night to test ride a commuter bike at a local bike shop.  They had a few true commuter bikes but we got the idea and now want to try more.  The manufacturer of the bike we tried was Giant.  A noticed the difference in the ride as opposed to her mountain bike and commented on how comfortable it felt.  I thought the ride was similar to my hybrid.  We absolutely loved the rack on the back as well as the fenders and kickstand.  I could picture myself carrying groceries on the back, as well my morning coffee.  The sales person did point out that any bike can be a commuter bike if you outfit it just right.  We aren't quite ready to give our current bikes a rest but we can certainly picture adding another bike to each of our households in the near future.  We were already talking about a weekend in NYC for me to test ride a Retrovelo Paula at AdelineAdeline which would be absolutely fitting for me.   To finish the evening off, we took our current bikes out for ride in the park and enjoyed every moment. - P
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5 comments:

  1. DottieJuly 26, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    Awesome! I enjoy test riding bikes, too, even if it's just for fun. You should definitely try out the Retrovelo, but be warned that you may fall in love and forget all the reasons why your current bikes are perfectly fine. :)

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  2. LBJJuly 27, 2011 at 2:32 PM

    Any bike can be a commuter bike, however my commuter bike has a special feature - it folds. My commute is WAY to long to do by bike, so about a year ago, I got a Montague folding bike. I still drive to work, but now I park about 5 miles from the office and ride in.

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  3. pmakJuly 28, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    Dottie - We are certainly afraid that might happen if we test the Retrovelo :-) I wasn't as tempted with the one we test rode since it was so close in style to my hybrid, but the Retrovelo does look nice.

    LBJ - That is a great idea as my office is not convenient to ride to from home. The Montague would fit very nicely in my office as well. Thanks.

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