the paradox of (bicycle) choice
Living in SF is great, but exploring outside of your neighborhood requires some effort. There are buses that run regularly to all the major areas of town... it's just a pain to look up their schedules and waiting around at stops isn't particularly fun.
Cabs are the laziest and easiest option, but the cost really adds up. A round-trip from my neighborhood to Lower Haight costs $20 with fare and tip. No thanks! Walking can only get you so far because of the darn hills, so that leaves riding a bike to get around.
Bike culture here is huge. You see bicycles everywhere and depending on whom you ask, you'll get a myriad of opinions on what kind to get and which ones are cool/uncool.
The most controversial of all bike-related topics in SF is the "fixie"... a super-sleek bike with no breaks and only one gear. These were previously used for track racing, but thanks to the ever-styln' NYC bike messengers, the trend spread to other cities. You really haven't lived until you see someone barreling down a hill on one of these in person... swinging out their back tire, and then coming to a full stop, figure skater style.
Here's an example of a really pretty one I spotted recently. Note the custom paint job and gold tire connector thingy...
Style is definitely one of the factors I'm keeping in mind as I search for a bike, but it's not the only thing. I think fixies are beautiful, they're just not practical for what I want to do.
To make matters more complex, I'm undecided on whether I need two bikes or just one. A lot of my friends that do long distance road biking have two... one for the city and one for their commutes. These friends have invited me to go on long rides with them (~40 miles and higher)... and I've heard from several sources not to attempt such distances on a street bike.
So here's the crux of the paradox... I don't like road bike handle bars for street riding and I don't want to leave a pricey road bike unattended on the streets of SF. I don't want to ride a cheapo road bike either since I know I won't be comfortable on long rides.
Having laid that all out, here are some bikes that I've considered and the various pros n' cons associated with each...
-- The Swobo Otis is high on style, but only has three gears. This is probably a nice bike for short distances, but would probably suck for hill climbing and longer rides.
-- Here's a bike I saw at Pedal Revolution, a store gleemie introduced me to that sells refurbished bikes. The ride on this one was super comfortable, hill climbing was decent, and the price tag was awesome ($230). On the downside, the bike uses pretty low-end components and the sales guy said it probably wouldn't last me very long.
Next up, we have this aluminum frame bike with a carbon backend from Valencia Cyclery. This felt like a good bike for long distances rides, but since I'm not used to road bike handle bars, it didn't feel as comfortable as straight bar bikes that I've ridden in the past.
This Trek was a lot heavier than the white Specialized, but the ride felt a lot more comfortable. It was also the bike that the sales guy thought would be best given my requirements.
This all-carbon frame Specialized was my favorite of the three road bikes I test rode... super-light and smooth ride, but also the most expensive (~$1600). Still, I think I'd much prefer a straight handle bar bike for city riding.
The most common bike I've seen on the streets of SF is the standard blue Bianchi roadbike. I'm not sure how much these cost, but they've got to be popular for a reason.
Another stop on my bike shopping journey led me into Freewheel. There, I told one of the sales guys my requirements and he had me try this Marin hybrid out...
This was my favorite ride of all the bikes I've tried. The upright position felt comfortable and it wasn't too heavy. The price was also pretty reasonable, I think it was something around $500.
Reading online reviews of it though got me seconded guessing, so I decided to hold off on purchasing for now.
In terms of style... the Marin bike felt very "me," although, I would like the ability to take the decals off (I'm not sure how hard that is). The lack of decals is another reason why I think fixies look so cool.
So, even with this fair amount of research, I still feel torn about what bike to get. I know the main obstacle is first deciding whether I want a road bike vs. a hybrid. I'm leaning more towards getting a nice hybrid in the $400-600 range... one that would make me excited to ride it often, and then just save up for a road bike later.
I know I could easily get a used bike off of Craigslist and call it done, but I think that would damper my motivation to ride it around. I also like the idea of having a store I can take it to for repairs and maintenance.
Back to the topic of theft... a common example I've heard about is getting it stolen outside of a bar or a show at night. Reading up on current bike locks, it blows my mind that thieves can cut through them, but I suppose if there's a will, there's a way.
There are so many options with this stuff, it really makes it hard to feel like you've made the right choice. That's why I'm relying on you, my experienced cyclist friends to guide me down the golden path of bicycle selection.
and just to keep the recent shoegazer theme going, here's your video for the day:
Cabs are the laziest and easiest option, but the cost really adds up. A round-trip from my neighborhood to Lower Haight costs $20 with fare and tip. No thanks! Walking can only get you so far because of the darn hills, so that leaves riding a bike to get around.
Bike culture here is huge. You see bicycles everywhere and depending on whom you ask, you'll get a myriad of opinions on what kind to get and which ones are cool/uncool.
The most controversial of all bike-related topics in SF is the "fixie"... a super-sleek bike with no breaks and only one gear. These were previously used for track racing, but thanks to the ever-styln' NYC bike messengers, the trend spread to other cities. You really haven't lived until you see someone barreling down a hill on one of these in person... swinging out their back tire, and then coming to a full stop, figure skater style.
Click to viewHere's an example of a really pretty one I spotted recently. Note the custom paint job and gold tire connector thingy...
Style is definitely one of the factors I'm keeping in mind as I search for a bike, but it's not the only thing. I think fixies are beautiful, they're just not practical for what I want to do.
To make matters more complex, I'm undecided on whether I need two bikes or just one. A lot of my friends that do long distance road biking have two... one for the city and one for their commutes. These friends have invited me to go on long rides with them (~40 miles and higher)... and I've heard from several sources not to attempt such distances on a street bike.
So here's the crux of the paradox... I don't like road bike handle bars for street riding and I don't want to leave a pricey road bike unattended on the streets of SF. I don't want to ride a cheapo road bike either since I know I won't be comfortable on long rides.
Having laid that all out, here are some bikes that I've considered and the various pros n' cons associated with each...
-- The Swobo Otis is high on style, but only has three gears. This is probably a nice bike for short distances, but would probably suck for hill climbing and longer rides.
-- Here's a bike I saw at Pedal Revolution, a store gleemie introduced me to that sells refurbished bikes. The ride on this one was super comfortable, hill climbing was decent, and the price tag was awesome ($230). On the downside, the bike uses pretty low-end components and the sales guy said it probably wouldn't last me very long.
Next up, we have this aluminum frame bike with a carbon backend from Valencia Cyclery. This felt like a good bike for long distances rides, but since I'm not used to road bike handle bars, it didn't feel as comfortable as straight bar bikes that I've ridden in the past.
This Trek was a lot heavier than the white Specialized, but the ride felt a lot more comfortable. It was also the bike that the sales guy thought would be best given my requirements.
This all-carbon frame Specialized was my favorite of the three road bikes I test rode... super-light and smooth ride, but also the most expensive (~$1600). Still, I think I'd much prefer a straight handle bar bike for city riding.
The most common bike I've seen on the streets of SF is the standard blue Bianchi roadbike. I'm not sure how much these cost, but they've got to be popular for a reason.
Another stop on my bike shopping journey led me into Freewheel. There, I told one of the sales guys my requirements and he had me try this Marin hybrid out...
This was my favorite ride of all the bikes I've tried. The upright position felt comfortable and it wasn't too heavy. The price was also pretty reasonable, I think it was something around $500.
Reading online reviews of it though got me seconded guessing, so I decided to hold off on purchasing for now.
In terms of style... the Marin bike felt very "me," although, I would like the ability to take the decals off (I'm not sure how hard that is). The lack of decals is another reason why I think fixies look so cool.
So, even with this fair amount of research, I still feel torn about what bike to get. I know the main obstacle is first deciding whether I want a road bike vs. a hybrid. I'm leaning more towards getting a nice hybrid in the $400-600 range... one that would make me excited to ride it often, and then just save up for a road bike later.
I know I could easily get a used bike off of Craigslist and call it done, but I think that would damper my motivation to ride it around. I also like the idea of having a store I can take it to for repairs and maintenance.
Back to the topic of theft... a common example I've heard about is getting it stolen outside of a bar or a show at night. Reading up on current bike locks, it blows my mind that thieves can cut through them, but I suppose if there's a will, there's a way.
There are so many options with this stuff, it really makes it hard to feel like you've made the right choice. That's why I'm relying on you, my experienced cyclist friends to guide me down the golden path of bicycle selection.
and just to keep the recent shoegazer theme going, here's your video for the day: