next stop(s):
#Timee's Up's Bike Recycling Program with a not-so-special guest appearance by
#landmark bicycles (ignore the address at the website.)
I'd gone to brunch with (the aforementioned) Mike and, since dining at
http://www.clementinebakery.com/ I was mostly half way there, decided to continue my journey on to Time's Up and their deep-discount used bikes.
So many bikes! All used and under $200. Bikes like this no-namer
.
pros/cons. let met tell you them.On the one hand, it's a bit utilitarian. On the other, it's a bit tricked out. It has a kinetic-powered headlight (you pedal- it lights up. the inner elementary-gradeschool-science-geek/Homer Simpson is thrilled by this: "light goes on. light goes off"). an extra lock to the bike to keep the gears from moving if the key is removed. full chain guard (great for snowy-rainy days!). but single gear. which is meh when it comes to longer rides and hills. then again, check out that kickstand!
the seat leaves a bit to be desired. the guy wasn't able to tell me if it was replaceable or not. (i have a spare seat at my house.)
The ride up and down the block was smooth enough, through potholes and all. the location doesn't get the greatest amount of traffic. it's not super heavy. but not ultra-light, either. the kickstand/backrack make it a little lopsided in weight, but not terribly so.
in case it wasn't clear: the guy running it didn't seem interested in answering questions. he's "not a sales guy, just a volunteer". what makes this better than a new bike? i asked. his response, essentially, was that it avoided
planned obsolescence and promptly started explaining what that meant. (lol - like apple stuff, you mean?, i asked but didn't get an answer) ... not quite douchey. but not exactly the listening sort. tried to convince me i didn't have to worry about the bike being at risk of being stolen.
but under $200... so tempting! and they have tons more like this. but the colour is kinda' cute.
I wanted to see more, and Landmark was only a few blocks away, so I said I wanted to ponder and would be back.
I made my way to the other store. And here, I received no attention, not even a greeting. Not dressed to bike or lugging a helmet/chain with me, I didn't seem to matter. I tried making eye contact, but had my attempts avoided. (It was quiet enough, staff could be seen talking amongst themselves.) While I could have asked for help, I didn't see anything out in the open that I found particularly tempting in my price range to knock either the globes or the no-name out of contention. Yes, they had used, but it was "vitage", i.e. hipstery prices. So i left.
Back at Times Up, the guy appeared to have taken a break. I couldn't find him. So I hopped the bus to go home.
August 26th
