Bike Lust: Part II

Okay, I’ve gone in a different direction with my cycling considerations.

I’ve nixed the idea of buying a true mountain bike altogether. I should probably just focus on what I use my bike for 90% of the time: riding on paved or gravel surfaces, primarily as a commuter.

[My mountain biking solution may be to pay for the mountain bike I currently use but do not own to be better fitted to me--that would probably mean different handlebars.]

My commuting solution at the moment seems to be either the Trek 7.2 FX or the 7.5 FX. Both seem to be the exact mix of what I want--the mountain bike geometry, gearing, and pricing that are suited to my riding experience and the roads around Athens, with the zippiness and thinner tires of a road bike.

I’m leaning towards the blue bike because I love the color and because of Brian’s good advice to buy the best bike I can afford. But my instinct is to conserve money and just plan on upgrading parts later as needed. But I really want a brightly colored bike. Arrgg! If the cheaper bike were blue, I'd probably get it. I know that seems silly, particularly to the non-cyclists in the audience, but try imagining a car you like in a color you dislike or are indifferent to, versus a more expensive but higher quality car in a color you absolutely love. You DO have to spend a lot of time using your car, so how much weight do you give to buying the car you love versus the car that is economic?

It’ll be a little while before I can get either bike--Athens Bicycle has none in stock (the two they had at the shop had been special ordered and were already paid for, so I could try them for sizing, but not road test them), so I’ll have to order one in my size to test ride first, then (I hope!) purchase.