I can't believe I did it!!!

[Toni]

I bought a second bike. I MUST be insane!! And real happy about it :) I plan on riding to work and didn't want my Trek 5000 stolen. So I bought myself a Specialized Sirrus to go about 24 miles round trip. I work at a hospital so I have access to a shower and I am determined to change my lifestyle. I have lost a little over 40 pounds and am determined to keep it off. 1391 I know I look like a big goofball, but boy, am I a happy one!!!

[7rider]

Excellent!!!
Congratulations.
Smart move...the Specialized will be an awesome commuter.
Welcome to the growing horde of multi-bike owners!
We're a crazy, but happy, bunch!

[Tater]

Way to go, Toni! I too, have about a twenty-four mile round trip commute and it often is the highlight of my day. Congrats on the weight loss! Your commute will certainly help in that department. Smooth rides and following winds to you.

[betagirl]

Great picture :D

[Geonz]

Happy Happy Goofballs! Happy Happy Goofballs!

So, have you had your first ride on it yet?????

[Toni]

My first ride to work will be this coming Monday, I had to wait till my lights came in (ordered from Performance), got them yesterday. I will be leaving at 6 am and it is still pitch black outside, and after reading on this forum I made the decision to buy lights before I started on my journey. :D I have riden the bike out in the neighborhood, and I love it!! :) I will post once I actually ride to work for the first time.......

[twin]

Great idea!

[RoadRaven]

Toni... glad you make the step and got a second bike...

Now you are becoming enlightened, you will soon realise that two bikes is not enough, and you will realise that essentials like food clothing and warmth are not so essential as you thought.

Saving towards that next bike (and all the essentail bike parts and accessories) will become a welcome goal and you will gladly find yourself eating pasta and rice (no more fancy food or restaurants), ignoring the latest fashion trends and bypassing sales in womens clothing stores (the clothes at home are perfectly fine and should last at least another couple of seasons) and ignoring the coolness of winter (after all - why waste your money on power bills when a good blanket or two will keep you just as warm!).

The second bike is only the beginning...

[im4smiley]

Last week I came home with a 2nd bike too! Someone at my lbs had bought a new mountain bike and sold me her old one for $40!! It is an older model, Specialized rock hopper. I am going to use it to commute to work. I will need to get a light because as Toni said it is dark at 6 am. I only have about 8 miles to ride to but I want to stop at the gym before work (only a block from work) and I was afraid to lock my Felt outside. Hubby was very surprised. Today I bought a new computer and saddle for my new girl :)

[CorsairMac]

Congrats to both of you and welcome to the wonderful world of commuting.

RR: I loved your comments about the second - ok...now I need a 3rd bike! :D

so Toni: how was the commute??

[RoadRaven]

Corsair, yes, you def need that third bike... sounds like Smiley does too!

As for me... well... I'm dropping major hints, cause I really need a 4th!

[MomOnBike]

I've been having conversaitons with DH (the frugal) about building up a dedicated commuter bike. I can barely believe he's talking about it. This may take a while...

(That would be a total of 3 bikes for me. ;) )

[GLC1968]

I just bought my commuter/touring bike month ago, too and I LOVE it! I already had a nice road bike (my second one in a year :o ) and a mountain bike.

Now the commuter is making me re-think my current road bike. :eek: I have to handle this very gently so as to avoid flipping DH out too much when I tell him I need another bike. :D Good thing I make the money in this family! :p

[fatbottomedgurl]

40 lbs? You look FABULOUS!!! You go!!!

[Brandi]

Right on! you go girl!
I got a new bike last year and was going to sell my old one and decided to keep for commuting as well. It is not worth even close to my new one. Besides it was my first real bike I am a little attached to it!

[Toni]

Sorry, I never posted on my commute......I can not express in words how much I love riding to work!! It is 9.7 miles each way and I only get to ride 2, maybe 3 times a week (I have job commitments that require a car) but so far I have just over 450 miles total on my commuting bike. I have now reached my weight loss goal. I started on June 1 at 183 lbs and am now at my goal of 125 lbs. I went from a size 16-18 down to a size 4-6. Biking played a HUGE part in my weight loss. I am so glad I picked an activity that I love to do......lucky me.:)

[Geonz]

What? SOmebody in the health profession who's healthy??? YOu rock :) :)
WHen I started commuting, my car was my "ace in the hole," - if I overslept a little, or had a bad morning... last Friday I overslept and thought about it and ended up calling in and saying I'd be there late (didn't have any thing on the calendar).
I love riding by the gas stations best ;)

[Artisan]

Wow Toni, that is a major accomplishment! Congrats on your weight loss.

[Thistle]

Dont look insane to me :D :D

When was buying a bike ever a crazy thing to do :p Enjoy your new ride!

[Crankin]

You can never have too many bikes. I have 2 (road and mountain) and soon, my husband is going to start working on making "Voodoo" into a commuter for me. It's a hard tail mtb that I first started riding on. Right now we keep it for guests to ride, but I think it's been used 3 times in the past 4 years. It's bright yellow and I have to say i have an emotional attachment to it. My husband used it to mtb for a few years, but it's in great shape. Basically, when I retire in June, I will use it to do minor errands at the grocery store, drugstore, go for coffee, go to the gym. I might try riding it to work before school gets out, but I'm not sure how long the 13.5 mile commute will take me on that bike. There's light issues, too in the morning and I am not sure I want to spend big bucks for a good headlight, since I probably will not be riding in the dark, once I quit working.
Any recommendations on things to do to make this bike a cool commuter? I already have dual sided pedals on it.

[Geonz]

Somethign like this?http://xtracycle.com/albums/real_loads/9_5_03_bike.jpg

[light_sabe_r]

Mwa hahaha that's HILARIOUs geonz...

[Crankin]

Uh, I don't think I'm going to get that crazy.... seriously, what do you think is necessary to make it a good commuter bike? Do I need to change the handlebars? What panniers do you like, racks, that kind of stuff? Tires? Right now there are slicks on the bike, but I don't know what size. I want it to look cool, but not too funky, if that sounds right.

Robyn