Sweet agony of choice - best all-around bike for under a grand?

Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

Then as I was riding my Schwinn Tempo, I remembered how much I enjoyed
bicycling. So I ask this question to you:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike paths.
2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

So take that 900 bucks and run with it!

On 4 Oct 2004 07:55:53 -0700, (Bryanska) wrote:

Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

Then as I was riding my Schwinn Tempo, I remembered how much I enjoyed
bicycling. So I ask this question to you:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike paths.
2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

So take that 900 bucks and run with it!

Stop 'sucking it up' and find yourself a good bike shop. Take your
present bike in and go over what hurts and where, talk about what you
want to do with a new bike, etc. A good bike shop will listen and try
to figure out how to get you on a bike that works.

So run around until you find the right bike shop, and the then the
right bike will be easy.

Surly Cross-Check
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/s....html#complete

Bianchi Volpe
Cannondale T800

Bryanska wrote:
Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

Then as I was riding my Schwinn Tempo, I remembered how much I enjoyed
bicycling. So I ask this question to you:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike paths.
2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

So take that 900 bucks and run with it!

Top-end pans?!? You've got more pressing issues than bicycling.

Bill "nuke it, fry it, or grill it" S.

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 16:38:20 GMT,
, "B i l l S o r n s o n"
wrote:


Top-end pans?!? You've got more pressing issues than bicycling.

Bill "nuke it, fry it, or grill it" S.

To me, "top end pans" means some good quality steel drums but a
mediocre chromed quadrophonic pan set is about twice his budget.
--
zk

Bryanska Wrote:
Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

Then as I was riding my Schwinn Tempo, I remembered how much I enjoyed
bicycling. So I ask this question to you:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike paths.
2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

So take that 900 bucks and run with it!
As previously posted go to your LBS and get propperly fitted, on a new
bike if necessary. If it is ultimate comfort you are shooting for don't
rule out a recumbent. Entry level bikes can be had for less than a
grand. Even decent ones can be had for a good price as used.

'bent Brian


--
bentbrian

Zoot Katz wrote:
Mon, 04 Oct 2004 16:38:20 GMT,
, "B i l l S o r n s o n"
wrote:


Top-end pans?!? You've got more pressing issues than bicycling.

Bill "nuke it, fry it, or grill it" S.

To me, "top end pans" means some good quality steel drums but a
mediocre chromed quadrophonic pan set is about twice his budget.

There's hope for you yet, Zoot.

Bill "men beat on stuff, as opposed to sautéing" S.

B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:
Bill "men beat on stuff, as opposed to sautéing" S.

Back in the dawn of time, men beat on the ground with sticks and
screamed at the sky and called it "religion."

Now they just call it "golf."

-km

B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:
Bryanska wrote:
Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

Then as I was riding my Schwinn Tempo, I remembered how much I
enjoyed bicycling. So I ask this question to you:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike
paths. 2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

So take that 900 bucks and run with it!

Top-end pans?!? You've got more pressing issues than bicycling.

Bill "nuke it, fry it, or grill it" S.

I'm guessing any woman who wants top-end cookware is gonna feed you well --
not bad. Seems to me though that the OP had them on *his* wish list.
Either he's going to be doing the cooking or he's operating under the
delusion that expensive cookware will induce the future wife to cook.
That's similar to the idea that buying the wife expensive underwear will
induce her to take it off more easily. Both those scenarios are likely to
end up in disappointment. (I speak from experience!)

Take the $900, double it, buy what you want and realize you'll never have
such a great deal again.

Tom

In article , Bryanska wrote:

Given about $900, what is the bicycle you would purchase?

Please keep in mind my situation:
1) City dweller, mainly ride on roads and long Minneapolis bike paths.
2) Sometimes I need to cruise around lazily.
3) My properly-sized Schwinn hurts, dammit! Are all road bikes
painful? Everyone tells me to suck it up, but my poor taint...

Not enough info, really. If you have dreams of touring, the Erik's
on Minnetonka has a couple of 2003 Cannondale T-2000s for $1099 (down
from $1500) that seem to be good value and could be comfy and fun
for the kind of riding you describe. I'm trying to talk myself into
buying one but on a student budget it's a tough sell.

The singlespeed/fixed idea others have mentioned is interesting,
especially if you mostly ride on the paths and the flatter parts
of the city.

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/)
GroupLens Research Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372)
*** Just a foot soldier in the Army of Truth ***

tcmedara wrote:
B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:
Bryanska wrote:
Hi everyone,

I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (NOT as painful as many men
would have you believe), and we had previously discussed how this
would be a mutual engagement gifting. I thought about asking for a
custom suit, custom-made shoes, or top-end pans.

{snip}

Top-end pans?!? You've got more pressing issues than bicycling.

Bill "nuke it, fry it, or grill it" S.

I'm guessing any woman who wants top-end cookware is gonna feed you
well -- not bad. Seems to me though that the OP had them on *his*
wish list. {snip}

Duh, that's why I razzed him!

Bill "clear as pea soup" S.