rkt | Let's Buy a Bike

for folks who missed the fb post, i'm looking to get myself a bike. it's the most convenient way to get around some parts of brooklyn. biking makes me happier than the idea of running. and chicks dig folks with bikes. So.

but it's hard work, yo! my friend Mike is helping me out with inspiration and while i started out thinking I'd yelp the process, he's convinced me to blog the ordeal. (My original plan was to yelp away the results. I'm sure I'll still do that. I've been neglectful of sharing my opinions there.)

only i'm too lazy to get a Real Blog just yet.

so el-jay. for now, it stays you and me and those making their way here.

First Stop: bicycle roots

It was sort-of on the way home from work because i took the long route and had to get off the subway, anyway, and it;s 2 blocks up from that stop. I'd been told by (other, mutual) friends that it was women owned and very friendly. And, indeed, it was friendly. Staff was able to make sense of what it was I was looking for. With a budget of around $500 (hello, credit card!) he suggested a globe

and was able to show me this

and this one

. All the while not making me feel like an idiot and listening to me without pandering or over-selling. Despite the previously-given accolades, I was still braced for stuck-up gear-heads. If any were there, I didn't interact with them. The gears needed a little adjusting on the silver one, which they did easy-peasy.

Most days I lean toward the Silver One. The Blue One is nice, and more visually pleasing in some respects, and the handlebars offer more stability. (This may not be important to most, but the sidewalk/street and I have a rather special relationship of extra-curricular gravitational pulling.) But the Silver One, apparently, will be gentler on my body as i tackle hills and carry weight. Yet, the Blue One, comes with the rack already installed, but that also affects the weight. I need something that i can carry up a (steep) flight of steps after a ride.....so..... I rode them both around the store and they are smooth. I wasn't up for taking an out-side ride with traffic (sidwalking riding is illegal for 13+). So i definitely need to do that before making a final decision.

I put a deposit on the Silver One. Because even if I don't take it home, I still need a Good Lock and a Great Helmet, which, together, will be the cost of my deposit.

P.S. I am only screening comments from non-LJ friends to keep out the spambots. sorry in advance for the fake-in-text-links which are ads. globe and bicycle roots are the only ones that are real link-throughs.