Now I know Chach just bought a bike but I am not copying with my post here. My friend Renee and I have been talking about buying cruiser bikes for a while now.I am in a debate with myself over my transportation needs. I currently have a 30 minute walk to work. Not bad, adds an extra hour of walking into my exercise routine, costs me nothing and is usually a refreshing start and end to the day.
But lately, lately I am not enjoying it as much. I am busy, want to get into work fast, and hate that I leave for work at 7:15am and by the time I walk in, change when I get there, redo hair, it is 8:15am and I am at my desk. I want some ease. I want to speed things up. And the fact is, that no matter how enjoyable the walk is, when it starts pouring out it is 30 minutes of annoyance.
So I want to buy a commuter bike and turn that 30 minutes into ten. And have panniers to carry all my stuff. But I have to find the exact bike. I can't lean forward due to my neck and shoulder. But all the cruiser bikes that are a great position generally don't have enough gears, or they have coaster breaks, or they are made of steel and weigh a ton. I want to spend less than $500 all in. Right now I spend $40 a month on transportation. That is mainly in the form of transit. Occasionally I indulge in a cab. The bike would add an extra cost of $40 a month for a year. I can live with that. All in I am still paying less than JUST to insure a car each month, never mind gas, maintenance and car payments.
The bike attached is the Santiago by Norco. MSRP $375. It has 7 speeds, V brakes (coaster just ain't safe in my opinion), and is made of steel. I think it will do the job. I just need a rat trap on the back to hang panniers. It is getting to the end of the season and I think I could get it for a deal. But I am also saving up for my nose. So which to get first. It is about to turn into our rainy season. I am not looking forward to suiting up in Goretex and getting soaked over 30 minutes. I would much rather get rained on for 10 minutes.
Might have to call around and see if any stores have them in stock...
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1 comments:
You will still need all the rain gear for your bike. Also you will need to change when you get to work. These do add some time but they take time off the front end at home. Eating breakfast, brushing your teeth and Getting into your bike gear before you have had the morning shower and such is a pretty brief morning routine. Everything else you take care of at work. And on a nice day it is oh so nice.
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