Rolling toward a shorter list
Back in the spring of 1972, I purchased my first bicycle. Used, but useful. Daily fun until an unfortunate accident (still wear my scars). The bike was beyond repair, so I saved my pennies for several months (things were cheaper back then) and replaced the pile of scrapped steel with something brand new. Faster. Yellow.
And from that point on, with a short exception due to “trial by theft”, I managed to own a series of bicycles. Not many; I tend to hang on to things, but each one better than the last. Fast forward to six months ago, when my two wheeler was passed to my son, on his request.
The urge to ride is coming back, so I’ve been shopping. Researching, if you will. Getting close to an actual short list. Over the last four decades plus, the descriptions have changed, even if the basic premise hasn’t. Two wheels, a frame, some additional components.
Now, the nearest store is over an hour away; not something I can cross on a whim. Not with a car. Certainly not on two feet. Shank’s mare, as my father used to say. But we do have Google. My experience has been that you can only buy what others have available to sell, so it does limit choice. From thousands of models, down to a minimum of two. Still too early in my process to make a choice, but I know a lot more about the current state of components. Of course, you pay for what you get, buy my hope is that the merchant will want to deal, given the impending slowdown due to drifting snow and slippy ice.
