It Was Either Buy a Bike or Shoot Myself
You can make shopping for a second bike a life-long job.
Geez, all I wanted was a second bike to use for bad weather that would be dependable and fun. The "fun" part was what I thought when I first started looking. With so many options, the "fun" part quickly lost it's flavor.
I have a Trek 7.6 FX which I love but Delaware winters are usually wet and cold, often messy even if there are only rare snowstorms. It seemed a crime to subject the Trek to such things...... And having gone completely GREEN and never driving the car, a second bike is prudent.
I've decided on three or four different bikes over the past month and either had more than one LBS blow me off, ignore me, or try to sell me a three wheeler with a tractor seat.
Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and called in a favor of the manager of a local PerformanceBike store who was trying to make good on a surly stupid inattentive salesperson (no longer employed there) who wouldn't assist me and resulted in my buying a Trek instead of one of their bikes several months ago.
The good-faith savings she extended was going to be substantial so today we ploughed through and played with every bike they had from full carbon (road and mtb) and all the way down to the other end.
After all of that "exhausting" shopping, I was as limp as a dishrag and finally realized all I wanted was a run of the mill bike with wider tires, disc brakes, and something that I wouldn't mind subjecting to terrible weather and the vagaries of being slammed on a bus bike rack 2 to 4 times a day.
The last bike in the store I hadn't tested was a GT Transeo 1.0 Commuter bike. I took it for a spin just as night was falling and couldn't believe how well it handled and how secure it felt on the rain-slick roads.
Finally, praise Jesus, I bought a bike. I'm upgrading it with disc brakes, better saddle, and other bling things and I can now STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT BIKE TO BUY.
....well that is....ummmmm.....I will be in the market for a mountain bike but first I would enjoy a coma of not thinking about components and reviews and decisions......
