Bikes and stuff
Mar. 6th, 2012 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorcyressOfficially, I'm in the market for a new bicycle.
I took Blaise in to be looked at over at Broadway Bikes. The dude was nice, and frowned and confessed that the amount of work needed would probably cost more than she had. I pressed for details, and ayep, the overhaul she'd need on brakes and gears would be somewhere around $160 (and that's not even getting into all the other ways she is honestly not a great bike.).
New bikes start around 300, 350. I'd be able to install my rack, get panniers, actually hold some cargo in a manner other than "on my back". This is...not a terrible idea? But it is an awful lot of money.
(And I say that, but I ride Blaise every day, eight miles or more. She is the second most necessary thing I own (after Vera), and easily the second most used. Having a bike is important to me, and having a bike that sucks less would be valuable. Five hundred dollars, or less, for the ability to go anywhere I want1, whenever I want2, safely3? That's really hard to pass up.)
1: Well, anywhere within about ten miles of Dinosaur Sashay.
2: Faster than the busses, and seriously, I can leave when I want. I am a slave to no transit system. Yes. Please!
3: Because, to be honest in the sort of way I've been avoiding mentioning because it's an embarrassing situation, Blaise isn't exactly what you could call safe right now. I'm a safe rider, sure, but she is not a safe bike to ride.
So there we have it. I want a new bike, and if I'm very careful with my money for a month or two (plane tickets to Atlanta, what plane tickets to Atlanta...), and take all the odd jobs I possibly can, I think I can afford one without getting too tightly uncomfortable about my finances.
So I'm going to be doing research, and saving money, and collecting a good idea of what my needs/wants/desires are (multiple speeds/fat bouncy tires/orange!). And then I'm going to find the right place to buy such a beast, and well, then I'm going to give someone a lot of money.
Advice on any of the above is welcome.
~Sor
MOOP!
PostScript: Dear Dreamwidth. Fuck you.
I took Blaise in to be looked at over at Broadway Bikes. The dude was nice, and frowned and confessed that the amount of work needed would probably cost more than she had. I pressed for details, and ayep, the overhaul she'd need on brakes and gears would be somewhere around $160 (and that's not even getting into all the other ways she is honestly not a great bike.).
New bikes start around 300, 350. I'd be able to install my rack, get panniers, actually hold some cargo in a manner other than "on my back". This is...not a terrible idea? But it is an awful lot of money.
(And I say that, but I ride Blaise every day, eight miles or more. She is the second most necessary thing I own (after Vera), and easily the second most used. Having a bike is important to me, and having a bike that sucks less would be valuable. Five hundred dollars, or less, for the ability to go anywhere I want1, whenever I want2, safely3? That's really hard to pass up.)
1: Well, anywhere within about ten miles of Dinosaur Sashay.
2: Faster than the busses, and seriously, I can leave when I want. I am a slave to no transit system. Yes. Please!
3: Because, to be honest in the sort of way I've been avoiding mentioning because it's an embarrassing situation, Blaise isn't exactly what you could call safe right now. I'm a safe rider, sure, but she is not a safe bike to ride.
So there we have it. I want a new bike, and if I'm very careful with my money for a month or two (plane tickets to Atlanta, what plane tickets to Atlanta...), and take all the odd jobs I possibly can, I think I can afford one without getting too tightly uncomfortable about my finances.
So I'm going to be doing research, and saving money, and collecting a good idea of what my needs/wants/desires are (multiple speeds/fat bouncy tires/orange!). And then I'm going to find the right place to buy such a beast, and well, then I'm going to give someone a lot of money.
Advice on any of the above is welcome.
~Sor
MOOP!
PostScript: Dear Dreamwidth. Fuck you.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2012-03-06 05:45 pm (UTC)Two: Are you an upright rider who prefers cruisers, or are you looking for something in a drop handlebars position?
Three: Where will you be storing it and do you have to carry it up and/or down stairs?
no subject
on 2012-03-06 05:51 pm (UTC)2) I have no idea what those words mean.
I would prefer to ride with my back straight up and down, and handlebars that I can comfortably reach from that position. As things currently stand, I have to lean slightly forward, and that's no good. I often ride with a backpack, which can be as much as thirty pounds or so of stuff, so *having* to be bent over is a bad situation for me. Obviously, I should be getting a proper cargo set-up, but even once that's happened, I doubt I'll drop the pack entirely.
3) I will be storing it mostly in the basement of the house. Down about six steps, yes. Light is not the hugest issue --Blaise is a heavy piece of machinery-- but having places to put my hands and carry it is important. Also places to let me lock the bike to things, since I spend a lot of time out and about in the city, and need a secure attachment. Bonus points for a front wheel with no quick release, so I don't have to procure a second lock to attach it.
~Sor
no subject
on 2012-03-06 06:43 pm (UTC)Quick release skewers can actually be replaced with non-quick release ones pretty cheaply and easily. You can even get locking ones if you're worried about people with wrenches, but those are kind of pricey, and probably not worth it -- I've never had a wheel stolen even with quick-release wheels, though I don't tend to leave my bike outside for long periods.
I have heard good things about Bike Boom (http://www.bikeboom.net/) in Davis Square -- they sell good quality used bikes. I'd be happy to accompany you on a bike-shopping expedition if you want, to have an extra pair of eyes.
no subject
on 2012-03-06 09:22 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-06 10:15 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-06 07:12 pm (UTC)It will make the bike a little heavier, but if you are already doing cargo & commuting rather than racing, that small weight difference will not be one you care about. Gears in the hub are a LOT easier to maintain & less prone to breakdown than derailleurs, and from what I can gather of your lifestyle, that's a big plus for you. Also hub gears are almost universally found on commuters that are designed for a more upright riding position--if it's got gears in the hub, it's got a high chance of being designed for the riding position you favor.
Remember, derailleur is French for "My chain's dragging on the ground." :-)
no subject
on 2012-03-06 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-06 07:15 pm (UTC)If you find a bike you want which has a quick-release front wheel, getting a cable is a reasonable alternative to getting a second lock. (Professional thieves can get through a cable pretty easily, IIRC, but professional thieves aren't generally going for just a front wheel.)
no subject
on 2012-03-06 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-06 09:16 pm (UTC)I find linear-pull brakes, or V-brakes, to be a thousand times easier to maintain than the old cantilever brakes. I don't know if they still make cantilever brakes, but if you're looking at used bikes I would avoid them — they are a real pain to get the balance right on when replacing the pads. With cantilevers, the cable pulls upward on a sort of inverted Y, with each branch going to a brake pad, and you have to balance both branches of the Y at the same time when fiddling with them. (They are what Blaise has, and what my previous bike had.) Linear pull brakes pull from the side, so there's only one direction of force, and you can unclip the cable easily to open the pads when you need to get the wheel off. (There are also disc brakes, which operate on the center of the wheel, but they are very pricey.)
I really like trigger shifters (mine are, I guess, Shimano) over twist-shifters (which operate like revving a motorcycle) — a flick of the finger, and I am in a new gear.
I also really like having front suspension (see again re: Boston roads), and since you're coming from front-and-rear suspension it might be an easier transition to go to front-only. That will not interfere with racks and panniers.
As other people have said, it's easy to replace quick-release front wheels with not, but I have a quick-release front wheel and so far I've never had trouble with it. Might be different if you're leaving your bike outside at night.
That there was pretty much my thought process when I bought Ol' '55, and it worked well for me. If I were recommending a specific bike for you, and you like bikes that are like my bike, I would say take a look at a Gary Fisher Neko (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/gary_fisher/mountain/dual_sport/neko/neko/#) ($530 new), which is a solid road-mountain hybrid. (It does not come in orange, alas.) But there are many good options. Ride at least several models and sizes, around the block a couple of times, and up and down hills. (It was going downhill that made me realize I wanted one gear set over another.)
I know you've encountered some sexism at Ace, but they are very good at taking care of customers who bought their bike there. They went out of their way to suggest replacing a tire under warranty about 11 months after I bought my bike, for instance, and many times have fixed something minor for me for free.
Bikes Not Bombs is a good place to take Blaise, if you want her to have a useful life after you. (I need to take Hoss there still.) They ask for a $10 donation along with the bike.
If you would like, we can sit down in the backyard with our bikes, once you get one, and I can show you some maintenance tips, like changing pads and fixing a flat and lubing the chain and so on.
I am sad about Blaise, but I think you are making the right call.
no subject
on 2012-03-07 05:38 am (UTC)...aaaaand apparently I can edit my comments now. That's new.
no subject
on 2012-03-06 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-06 10:19 pm (UTC)I don't want to speak for Kat, but I am almost certain she does. She's pretty badass.
no subject
on 2012-03-06 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-03-07 04:37 am (UTC)