possibly commuting soon! :)

[SUPlove]

Hey everyone :)

Sooooo....On Sunday have an interview to work as a tech in a vet clinic by my house. WHEN I get the job ;) I am planning on commuting to work! It's only 2 miles away from my house! I'm pretty excited and confident that I'll get the job. Just wanted to share my excitement for the day and hope to join the bike commuting world soon :) Have a great day everybody! :D

[Tri Girl]

Yay! Crossing all fingers and toes you're offered the job!:D

[SUPlove]

Thank You! I have been looking for a ss steel bike w/ fender/rack mounts anyway so hopefully I find one I like and it can become my commuter :)

[Tri Girl]

keep us updated (on the job and the bike hunt). :)

[Sardine]

Sounds great. Steel ss? Nice. Good luck with both.

[SUPlove]

Thanks! I have my interview today so I'll post how it goes. I have a good feeling though! :D

I've been looking for another vintage steel frame to make a ss so if it has fender mounts I won't mind using it to commute since Miami is so flat. But if not then I'll be looking at new steel frame commuters.

[Velocivixen]

Well? Did you get the job?

[chincitop]

We're rooting for you!

[SUPlove]

I think the interview went well! The "interview" part was pretty short and then they showed me around the clinic. We kinda just hung out and spoke about what to expect working there. They said they were going to discuss it and call me. We'll see..fingers crossed! Thanks for the positive vibes! \m/

[SUPlove]

Just a little update...I got the job :) and a new bike! I picked up a 1995 Bianchi Eros in forest green that I found on CL. The frame is in sweet condition and all stock Campy Mirage. The color is forest green so I'm gonna add brown Brooks saddle and bar tape. I had seen that color combination on the 2011 Raleigh Clubman and thought it looked classy. It does have a rear rack mount so that's next on my list of things to buy. Any recommendations? Thanks for your support! :)

[Tri Girl]

YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saweet!! So excited for you. And your new bike.

Guess what? I have that exact same bike as my commuter bike. With the brown bar tape and Brooks saddle. You have great taste! ;)

[Velocivixen]

Good for you. Sounds like you scored on both fronts. So I'm considering a rack for my new bike also. I have a Bontrager basic black rack on my other bike and it's fine. Nothing too cool looking. I have looked online and actually saw these two in person today. One is the Axiom Phoenix DLX and the other is the Portland Design Works rack called "the loading dock". I thought by looking online that I would prefer the Phoenix, but it was just the opposite. The PDW was actually "finer" looking and less "chunky" I guess. Both very functional with aesthetics to boot. Here are the links:

http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/rear-racks/phoenix-dlx/

http://www.ridepdw.com/goods/cargo/loading-dock™

Another one that I like is the Soma Deco Rear Rack which I have not seen in person. Here's the link:

http://www.somafab.com/decorack.html

Hope this helps. Let us know what you get. Does your bike have fenders? I'm likely getting SKS Longboard Fenders in "Beige/Creme". I have seen them in person in all the colors and they are so rich and lovely that the photos online don't do them any credit. You can order them from universalcycles.com for $35 or Rivbike.com for $38! Here's the link: http://www.rivbike.com/products/show/sks-longboard-fenders/27-014

[SUPlove]

@ Tri Girl: NO WAY! Yep that's exactly how I want mine. I have a few things I need to change on it. The Mirage headset is cracked :x It needs a tune up, new tires, chain, handlebar tape, pedals, and I'm thinking of changing the handlebars and stem cause they're black and I like that clean look of a quill stem. Oh and a saddle! I haven't figured out my sit bone measurements but have been looking at other posts about them. What kind of tires do you have? I have Vittoria Randonneur on my fixie and am curious what other suggestions there are for commuting. Our bikes are siblings haha! :p

@Velocivixen: Thanks for all the suggestions! It seems that we are looking for the same style of rack. I'm gonna check out those links you posted. If I find something neat I'll send you a link in case you like it as well :)

[Velocivixen]

You asked about saddles and I have the Brooks B17S (Standard) in Honey and it's fabulous! There are many posts about saddles in another section of this forum. Good information there.

[SUPlove]

I was looking at the B17 Standard on the Brooks site cause it seems to be popular but I realized that it only comes in honey and black..not brown. I like the look of the darker color. hmm....

Oh and I really like the Soma Deco rack and the PDQ Loading Dock rack. I'm wondering how well the bamboo would take to staining it a darker color.

Ahh...I love bikes!!! :D

[Sky King]

Not sure if you would want to consider a big front rack but if so the Gamoh King Carrier (http://store.biketouringnews.com/gamoh-minoura-king-carrier-front-basket/) is a fun one. And I too have the sks longboards for same price :)

[Velocivixen]

@SUPlove, the Brooks B17S DOES come in brown. It's not on the Brooks of England website which is strange, but if you google it you will find it. You can also find it in blue and apple green on some sites! But it most definitely comes in brown.

[SUPlove]

@Sky King: Aha! That's the next thing I was going to ask about..fenders. Those are nice too! I'm definitely considering adding some cause in Miami it's nice and sunny one minute then random scattered showers. Thanks for sharing that link. :)

@Velocivixen: Thanks for that! I found a few so now I'm all excited again lol. I'll post pics of my bike once it's done :)

Thanks to everyone for the positive vibes and all the help!

[Sardine]

Congratulations on the job AND the bike!

[SUPlove]

Thanks! :) I have to give a letter of resignation (never written one before..it's an odd feeling) and hopefully I'll be starting in about a week. As soon as I get my Brooks saddle and bar tape I'll take my Bianchi for a full tune up and start my car free commute to work :)

[Reesha]

You are going to looooove bike commuting. Make sure you adjust the amount you drive with your insurance company! They will probably give you a break :)

[SUPlove]

Reesha..is your name Larissa?? That's my name. And omg I never even thought about that! Super good idea..I'm def. gonna call my insurance company and ask.

Now I'm going crazy looking for a net I saw on one of the sites when looking for a rear rack. It was holding a basketball. There's a court on the way home from work and it would be cool to stop and play for a bit before getting home. Hmm...

P.S.
I just read the link on your signature. There is a guy who works at a lbs who rode from here (Miami) to California and I read his blog every day. Maybe you can contact him and get some tips? Anyway...here is his blog. I hope to make that journey some day..so inspiring and the views are breathtaking!
http://fornoparticularreason.wordpress.com/

[Reesha]

High five to another Larissa! Yes, I am also Larissa, although it's pronounced Lareesha in my case (hence Reesha). :)

You can usually find cargo nets at places that sell scooters/motorcycles. That's where I got my cargo net for my scoot!

[SUPlove]

Oh cool! I've only met a couple other people with the same name but never pronounced that way. Thanks for the tip..I'll look that up too :)

[Reesha]

here you go:

http://www.scooterworks.com/Bungee-Cargo-Net-P6113C534.aspx

[SUPlove]

Thanks for the link Reesha :)

I e-mailed Bill from wallbike.com and he was actually getting a shipment of the Brooks B17 in the antique brown so I waited and ordered it from him. I also got the matching bar tape. Can't wait to get them in and take my Bianchi for a tune up and install! Thanks for all your help everyone :)

[Page64]

Tri Girl, I'm wondering if you can tell me what you've got on the wheels of that Bianchi to make them light up so beautifully. I'm about to start commuting as soon as the new bike arrives, and darkness has settled in for the winter up here in Seattle.

___________

2002 Marin Bear Valley
2011 Co-Motion Cascadia

[Tri Girl]

They are sticker reflectors called Lightweights for wheels. Got them online at REI.