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Gentlemen, and lord knows I’m being generous, let’s help our new friend find a bike that works for her and once she has one, let’s help her figure out how to maintain it – hint to Annie, there’s more to learn but first things first.

But because you asked here is a short story filled with simple words. Once upon a time I knew a Cat 3 racer. He yakked about his bikes more than he yakked about me, tragic flaw really. There was Bessie his workhorse bike, his commuter that he said had gearing to scale a brick wall. That meant nothing to me at the time but I understood the meaning behind the name. Then there was Sophia his time trial bike, she was snobby and high-strung, but a stunning white bike. His road bike, was named- I forget, either Grace or Eve, by then I was catching on to the idea the bikes were a little more real to him than I was so I stopped paying attention.

But he taught me to see bikes as human beings. Now when I see a bike, I’ll ask the owner if it has a name and if not I can usually come up with one pretty quick. I love the names Dirt gives to his bikes and he is more highly evolved than I am in that his bike names are gender neutral. All the bikes I ride have male personalities, that’s just how I see them. And for me I know their names immediately, most people who name their bikes let the name come to them as they ride the bike a few times. I’m just odd that way.:cool:

Happy trails,
ann

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@CCrew 5064 wrote:

It’s like Xmas morning isn’t it? Have pretty much a whole bike in pieces all in “Out for Delivery” status since 6am….
Front Royal, VA, United States 06/27/2011 5:43 A.M. Out For Delivery

WooHoo!

Suddenly the whole “Mail Order Bride” thing begins to make sense. Dear God.

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Annie, ignore the Peanut Gallery, they are just having fun and forgetting their manners. *cough* cough* Please don’t let all this information intimidate you. I love my bike, he is a Trek 1.5 Woman Specific Design (WSD), like most men he is not perfect, but we have survived the first year together. Yes, he has a personality and a name, Spartacus. Strange but true. Trust your instincts, find a bike you like to ride. If you are comfortable handling the shifting and the brakes, if the saddle works well, then you’ll be happy.

ann

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@baiskeli 5059 wrote:

Don’t worry, Ann, as soon as I’ve set up the online contributions and all that, you can be sure that I’ll hit up my generous good friends here!

I just filled out the form to volunteer as a course marshall. It will be a terrific day. Thanks for alerting me to this.

ann

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Ah yes, it’s all fun and games until my bike is stolen by a chainsaw wielding, hockey mask wearing, scary dude.

In this case it appears the bark is what we have to worry about and the bite, not so much. (For three days I managed to avoid saying that but eventually….)

ann

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Welcome Annie, this is a great place for advice. Many people on these boards can help you find a bike. For me, buying a bike is like buying a car. I spend a lot of time with my local bike shops (LBS) asking questions, looking at bikes and then taking one or two out for a spin. I think a good thing to do would be to locate several bike shops and find the one that has the right vibe for you. Spend time with the staff asking a lot of questions, they are extraordinarily helpful and a great resource. I’m a little warped, but I probably visited four different shops and made at least three visits to the place I finally bought my first bike. For me, a woman’s specific design works best but that’s not necessarily true for all women. You may want to give some thought about how you want to carry work-related items. Do you want to manage with a backpack or panniers? It might make a difference in the type of bike you choose. Also, make sure you have comfortable biking clothes, gloves, and eye protection, having the right equipment makes riding more enjoyable.

Good luck, have fun
ann

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I cannot speak to technical specs but she has elegant clean lines, a classic beauty. Gorgeous bold color, reminds me of the late Princess Grace of Monaco. A fixie? If so, she’s spirited also. You are a lucky man. An amazing price.

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That would probably be bad for the tree also. I honestly never thought about this issue.

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Tried out my new shoes tonight and had to acclimate to new cleats. Immediately remembered how hard it is to learn to clip in and clip out, the unclipping motion is not subtle. It’s just plain hard.
But once again I discovered upgrading to a higher quality makes a big difference. I still think my shoes are ugly but a step up means better fit, more power, less tweaking of my knees. So far, I’ve never been sorry about spending more money on equipment.

Happy trails,
ann

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Would be happy to contribute to your effort. It sounds like a very good cause. Please send me the info.

ann

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We’ve all been there, right? You meet someone, the chemistry is amazing, the conversation is easy. Then you meet his best friend…
I went down to Spokes in Vienna and met a Specialized Ariel, tried him out so to say, and it was magic.

I ordered an upgraded model, the Elite, and he should be here next Friday. He looks just like a killer whale so naming him was easy. Free Willy.

ann

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Whew, glad you are ok, glad the other cyclists are ok.
ann

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Terrific! Thanks for posting. (Must obtain a hula hoop.) Nice edit job by the way.
ann

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So little faith…No worries, I was a nurse, I am certified in the use of restraints. But I am *tied up* at the moment with a “School’s Out Forever Sleepover” in other words I’ve spent the day loading super soakers and water balloons. I hope to get out there Friday before the weekend.

ann

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My 17 year old sneers at all things bike, completely devoted to cars, drifiting cars, filming cars drifting, and working on cars.

My 9 year old has a little hybrid and a little bike kit we picked out for him yesterday because he wants to come out with me a bit. Until now I haven’t felt competent enough to keep him safe and out of trouble.

But my little guy is a long way from serious riding.

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