New Additions

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try riding a bike for exercise again.  I had tried back in 2003 but found the mountain bike I had bought was just too uncomfortable for me to ride.  This time after a little more research I settled on a hybrid comfort bike and following a little shopping, ending up buying a Fuji Crosstown.

I had never realized before that bicycles came in frame sizes as well as wheel sizes.  Of course I never gave it a lot of thought either.  I had just basically bought an adult bike from a major retailer.  Though the mountain bike was from a bike shop.  I guess I just didn't ask enough questions. 

So this one is aluminum and has the front shocks as well as shock on seat and for lack of a better term, push button shifting.  After riding it for a few weeks it didn't give the problems the other bike had and Pam and I seemed to enjoy the ride.  We are putting in about 3 or 4 miles most evenings.  

So we decided to upgrade Pam's bicycle.  Actually I decided.  She was riding a Huffy cruiser with 7 speeds but it needed some attention.  I had bought hers at a local sporting goods store about 7 years ago and it had been ridden off and on during that time sporadically.  I probably could a puttered about and gotten it fixed but decided the better part of valor was just replacing it with a better bike.  Especially since a tune up at any of the shops would have cost me almost as much as I spent on the bike originally.  Since we could not get another bike like mine. (It seems the really good price I got was that it was a closeout)  We shopped around and found a Motobecane she liked in a correctly sized frame for her.

Shopping is not her favorite thing and the last bike my son and I picked out for her and just brought home (that's how she likes buying cars as well).  However,  I was able to convince her that I needed her along so they could fit the bike to her and adjust it at the shop.  Hopefully these will last for several years and they both came with lifetime adjustments so if the gears get out of whack I can take them back to the shop instead of me fiddling with them.

Doing the research and shopping the bikes was interesting and I am shocked at how many of these shops have bikes in them that cost as much as a small car.  These, while quite a bit more than the bikes you see in Target were low end bikes for these bike shops.  A simple bike computer to keep track of our rides is on order, there will however be no spandex for either of us.

And yes if you are real observant there are two of the same model of car in the garage.  Hers is ice blue and mine is blue green.  Would have bought her the same model bike if I could have found it.  Just makes it easier.

More later

Bruce