Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
I stopped into Gregg's Cycles on Aurora today, and took a look at some of the bikes there. The first one that caught my eye was the Gary Fisher Utopia, which was on sale for $600, vs. the normal $720 price (and $760 for 2007, I later discovered). I handed over license and credit card (apparently de rigeur in any larger cycle shop these days), and took it out for a spin. Pretty nice! I had actually gone in to look at recumbents, but that Fisher struck me as being a good deal.
I did also test ride a recumbent for the first time: a Rans Velocity Squared (a mere $999). Interestingly, Rans is a company which makes recumbent bicycles, and kit airplanes. Hmm, interesting coincidence of interests...
Anyway, riding the recumbent was interesting. I felt a bit like a young colt taking its first steps: wobbly, hesitant, not really knowing quite how these legs work yet. The recumbent gave me the same uncomfortable, how-do-I-balance-this-crazy-thing feeling as the one and only time I rode a cruiser-style motorcycle. In other words, it didn't positively impress me.
I was impressed by how much power I could get out of my legs since I was able to shove them against something other than gravity. If I were riding longer distances, a recumbent would be high on the list, simply for the improved aerodynamics and mechanical efficiency afforded.
The bike I rode was a long wheelbase model, which is not my preferred style -- I think I'd like the short wheelbase better. However, I'm glad my first ride was on a LWB model, I probably would have fallen off a SWB. I also think I would prefer under-seat steering, while this bike is over-seat steering. Part of my discomfort was surely having the handlebars be the end of a lever, instead of at the pivot -- my normal balancing inputs didn't work quite right, which really didn't put me at ease.
With any luck, I'll be heading out to ActionBent soon, to test ride a SWB model they have, as well as a trike. The trike sounds utterly fascinating, but largely impractical for the riding I want to do. I still want to check it out -- if it gets me excited about riding, it might be worth the price and impracticality.
Anyway, after I got back, the Gary Fisher bike was still sitting there, and after some deliberation, I put a $20 "hold it for 10 days" deposit on it, since it's the last one in the store, and a good price. So unless I find a better bike in the next ten days, I suspect that Fisher will become my next bike. If the Fisher ends up not being quite my thing, the Raleigh Mojave 8.0 I rode yesterday is also a strong contender.
I think the thing I like about the Fisher above the Raleigh (other than having generally better componentry) is the 29" wheels. They're much more appropriate for city use (vs. trail use). I just hope that the whole 29er trend doesn't fizzle like Betamax.
Posted at 22:22 permanent link category: /bicycle
Bicycles I've test-ridden so far:
Jamis Exile - A nice bike, but $800 for an '06. Well spec'd, with good components and a steel frame. Higher quality components than I'd really be able to appreciate.
Raleigh Mojave 8.0 - This is currently the top of the list, hitting all the things I care about, mostly disc brakes, wide tires, and a suspension fork with lockout (making it nearly as stiff as a non-suspension fork). Plus, it's only $550, considerably cheaper than the Raleigh.
Cannondale F800 - Alright, I guess, but I didn't feel like I fit on it all that well, and it was the "right size" for me. Again, fairly pricey, at $870. The coolest feature was the front suspension, which had the slider inside the headtube (in the frame), and was adjustable for rebound and lock-out on the fly -- no need to stop, get the weight off the fork, then lock it out or release the lock. For the price, I didn't think it was the right thing, at least partially because high-end components are lost on me.
It's been interesting, looking around. Next up, I'm going to look at recumbent bikes tonight, and will hopefully soon be looking at a recumbent trike (the ActionBent Tadpole Trike). I don't think a trike is seriously in my future, but they're utterly fascinating. Major cons are that they're too low for any visibility at all, and they can flip over if you take a curve too fast (not an issue I'd even consider on a two-wheeled bike).
The one thing which appeals to me about trikes is that they're so different, I might be inspired to ride much more often. They're spendy, and they're weird, and they have their downsides. But if they inspire me to get on them and ride more often, that's a net gain for me, my health, and my energy consumption.
Posted at 16:58 permanent link category: /bicycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater