Got my new bike

[corrine]

Well, I spent most of yesterday test riding bikes at our local bike shop. They had a great selection and I rode everything they had that fit. I was surprised by one bike that I hadn't heard much about - a Burley McKenzie. The frame is steel with carbon forks. I fell in love with this bike and the icing on the cake is that it happened to be a custom color - an awesome purple that color changes to green and has flecks of sparkly fushia. I am ready to ride, but that will have to wait until tomorrow as today is all rain, rain, rain. Tomorrow will be sunny and 58 degrees so we are going to ride the W&OD out of Purcelville in Virginia and hopefully will make it into D.C. and back. Thanks for all the comments on choosing a bike - I concentrated on fit and frame quality and feel I made a good choice.

[Surlygirl]

How exciting corrine. Welcome to the purple bike club. Make sure you post a picture.

[cyclingnewbie]

Congratulations on the new bike! Enjoy your inaugural ride!!

[Hammer]

I looked up the bike... sounds cool. I would also be curious to see a photo of the paint job.

[uforgot]

I just went to the Burly website, and I have a question. I've always wondered this...With Burly, no matter what bike you pull up, you get a list of colors it's in. I was astounded! When you go buy a car, you have your choice of colors, why not bikes? I really liked the Specialized Hardrock Geometry, but that matte blue paint just gave me the creeps. Plus, I don't want to see myself on the same bike everyone else has. Is it that costly to offer bikes in a variety of colors? I'm a newbie, and maybe this is a dumb question, but okay, I'm comfortable on these boards, so what's the deal? Why don't bike dealers offer a selection of colors?

[corrine]

I will try to get a picture that shows the beautiful paint color - but it is a dark purple and might be difficult to show how pretty it really is. Tomorrow should be nice and sunny, so I will try. About bike manufacturers offering more colors - I think (my opinion) that since most bikes are mass manufactured in foreign countries and we as a culture are so tied to the instant gratification factor, they only make bikes in one, maybe two colors. Trek does offer a special custom color option, but I would think it is pretty expensive. Burley is a cooperative and they make their bikes in Eugene, Oregon and since they are a much smaller operation than the large bike manufacturers, they can still offer this type of service. I lucked out with the color on my bike - I gathered that someone ordered the custom color and then didn't buy the bike, so it sat waiting for me.