shopping for a new bike, part I

this past saturday john and I rode up emigration canyon and then--instead of coming straight home--rode further and further into salt lake until we stopped at contender bicycles.  I had an appointment, you see, to test ride a few bikes.

john's Christmas gift to me was a new bike, and we'd been waiting for some warm(ish) and dry(ish) weather so that I could go do a few test rides.  can you feel me grinning?

so, saturday, after my beautiful ride up and down the canyon, I took short city spins on two beautiful new bicycles, a cannondale supersix evo, and a time rx instinct.

I began my road-biking experiences on a cannondale, a CAAD something (5? 8? can't remember and it's no longer in my possession).  it had a compact double and came with aero bars (which I promptly and laughingly removed), and was frost blue.  I'm not a blue person, but it was the only one in my size and when you're on a budget and a bike is on sale, you sometimes take what you can get.
that bike took me great places, and taught me to conquer whatever was put in front of me.
then I developed an itch for a new bike.  it all began when a friend asked me if I was interested in selling my bike . . . and another friend happened to be buddies with a guy who owned a bike shop where I could get a great deal on a prior-year's specialized bicycle . . . and before I knew it the cannondale was gone, and the specialized ruby expert sat in its place.

life on the specialized has been grand, but when I switched from a compact double to a triple, I believe I got a little bit lazier.  since I had those extra few gears, why not use them on those steep climbs?  I believe I took a little teeny step backwards in what had been a steady progression of strength and performance.

now it's back to the double.  I am not a geek, so I had to look this up and I may or may not be correct . . . but it looks like a 50/34 11 speed on the cannondale, and something comparable on the time though it has only 10 speeds.

I may soon be the proud owner of a new bike . . . if I'm able to come to a decision.

the cannondale is fun.  spiffy.  cool.  flashy.  wow.  (great to fly up the canyons)
the time is smooth.  sleek.  understated.  awesome.  (incredible on the 5 hour + rides)

it's feeling like a fun v. practical decision . . .  and I've spent most of my life being practical.
that fun, flashy cannondale is calling me . . .

this afternoon I'm taking the time up and down emigration canyon to experience a genuine ascent and descent.
I'll let you know how it goes, and where my heart takes me next.

fun, practical.   fun, practical.  practical, fun . . .

bright and shiny things

I went to my favorite store today, where I wandered for hours, lost in the delight of new smells, colors, shapes, textures: a bazaar for the senses and absolute heaven to me.
I touched rubber and plastic, wool and lycra, cotton and carbon and a handful of synthetics I'll never learn the names of.
swirling round me were titanium, aluminum, neoprene and fleece, silk and canvas and fiberglass and steel.
I was tempted by a dancing siren whose invisible presence guided me down one aisle then another, as I looked at puffy down and sleek microfiber and every gadget for every purpose under the sun.
I inhaled and sighed and could have stayed all day, lost in patterns and designs and ideas of where, and how, I could possibly put all of these things to use.

I'd gone there to exchange a present, one that was wonderful but was duplicated by something else hanging in my closet. a kid in a candy store, I was one with not only access but funds burning a hole in my proverbial pocket.
this, or that? something practical, something extravagant? a black thing--like usual--or something wildly pink or neon green? wool or cotton? one of these, or one of those?

sigh.
I love rei.

after wandering and dreaming, scheming and contemplating, minutes having melted more quickly than chocolate in july, I peeled my fingers from the cartons and fibers and smooth, rounded top tubes, and turned my mind to the final decision making.
did I need a this or a that? would I allow myself one of these or those? could I better justify walking out with this sumptuous thing or that practical item?

sometime before the sun set for the day and the moon rose, I left with a bright and shiny new jacket, apple green and white, a zippered pocket on the back, just aching to be worn out in the not-yet-spring-like world surrounding us. it will cheer me, blend beautifully with ruby, and keep away the inevitable downhill rush of cold that I might just choose to experience on a 45 degree february day like tomorrow.

thanks jcb.