Evil, Rotten, Enabling DH (Or, Somebody Talk Some Sense Into Me!)

[Crankin]

I have a Jamis Coda that I use for errands, appointments, and short rides in the winter when the roads are a mess. It's a fun bike. And it was so cheap. I am impressed with what you get for the $. So, I would be surprised if their top of the line bike was anything but great. I also had a 5200 and it was a great bike. I got talked into buying another (talk about impulse; don't go there) bike, even more money, which essentially doesn't fit me. Two years later the shop owner is willing to take back the frame, but he doesn't sell much in wsd bikes for short people that I could get there.
So, the moral of the story is make sure everything is right before you buy.

[mayanorange]

I'm on my second Jamis- I think they're great bikes. I can't afford Xenith, but the line seems to fit me well, so I'm happy with my Ventura and I had some great adventures in CA on my Cross Country.

As for cars, it might be cheaper to use premium depending on the car- My old truck (who I miss) used to get 20% better gas mileage with mid-grade or premium than it did with regular. So as long as the price difference was less than 20%, it was actually cheaper. And usually (espcially now that the bas price is so high) there's not much difference in price (~5-10%). Of course since she didn't do any better on premium than mid, I got mid-grade.

My car plug is you should consider an 08 pontiac vibe if you can find one- yes, it's not as snazzy to drive as the cooper, but it gets great gas mileage with its toyota engine (mid to high 30s on the highway), great cargo ability, and for what you get, the price is superb (especially now the 09s are out). 09 gets worse gas mileage (tho is more fun to drive), is smaller (less head room for my 2 Bernese) and the rear glass won't open (how am I supposed to get a 2x4 in there then??).

[arielmoon]

DH sounds awesome to me! My BF insists that I test ride a Madone (other than his hehe) cause he insists that I need to be racing. He is loyal to Trek and works a few hours at LBS that is a Trek shop. In other words I would be getting it at a very decent discount!

[twin]

Two bikes and many other packed items and room to spare

[rij73]

DH sounds awesome to me! My BF insists that I test ride a Madone (other than his hehe) cause he insists that I need to be racing. He is loyal to Trek and works a few hours at LBS that is a Trek shop. In other words I would be getting it at a very decent discount!

Um.... and WHY are you not running to the store this instant?

Seriously, you gals with the enabling partners are very lucky. You are showing remarkable restraint!

If it weren't for my DH and his frugality, I'd have my bike all kitted out with SRAM Red by now. Of course, if it weren't for DH I wouldn't have had any money for a bike in the first place.

[NoNo]

As a former MINI owner I can tell you that they get nothing near the posted mileage. If you're getting the S, expect something in the mid- to upper-20's. As for getting bikes in and out of the back, I burned my leg on the exhaust doing that, so watch for that.

[arielmoon]

Um.... and WHY are you not running to the store this instant?
Seriously, you gals with the enabling partners are very lucky. You are showing remarkable restraint!

If it weren't for my DH and his frugality, I'd have my bike all kitted out with SRAM Red by now. Of course, if it weren't for DH I wouldn't have had any money for a bike in the first place.

Cause even with the discount I really have other financial obligations at this time. BF isnt offering to buy it for me... he's in the same boat!

But I keep reading how the price is going up and since his hand me down really doesnt fit me, I think I will be having to get one soon and finance it

[Skierchickie]

But I keep reading how the price is going up and since his hand me down really doesnt fit me, I think I will be having to get one soon and finance it

Don't forget about the Trek card! 6 months to pay it off, with no interest if you do pay it off by then.

Okay, the Jamis is in the back of my car . I rode it last night, and went back tonight to check into the toe overlap issue (dragging DH to see it ). The lbs owner sent it home with me (with his pedals on it) overnight. I need to get the pedals back to him tomorrow. He knows me/us well enough by now to know I would have to have it. So I just left a message at the shop telling him I want it. He did come down another $100, too. So $700 below MSRP.

To assuage my guilt (shopping for a bike from the splinter shop instead of the shop I've dealt with for 20 years), I called to check on the Madone 5.5 price. An incredible deal ($1100 below MSRP), but still $800 more than the Jamis, and more than I can justify even in MY greedy, materialistic little brain.

What a sweet ride! Very smooth, very stiff, very....GREAT! I probably rode 20-25 miles on it tonight, partly into a stiff headwind, partly down a long, long hill, and partly up a long, steep hill. Any issues were with me, and not the bike (I forgot I've been sick for several days until I started bonking mildly). I did do some tight, slow circles to check out the toe overlap - only an issue if I turn the wheel hard while moving very slowly - I don't seem to turn corners naturally with my feet at 3 & 9 o'clock, so I really had to try to make them strike the wheel. This bike is quite compact, with a shorter wheelbase than I'm used to, and the wheels are tucked in quite close to the frame.

By the way, I really really like the Easton EA70 handlebars - not WSD, but a really nice shape, and they seem like they are more compact, despite being 40 cm (my current bike has 38 cm bars). A much more comfortable shape. I will probably check into adding the shims to the levers, but they're really not bad. I'll have to go over it carefully, to match the measurements from my fitting earlier this summer, but this bike is more comfortable already (except for the Terry Liberator Race saddle they put on for test riding to save the white Fizik that comes with it).

DH has continued to say "you'd better get it!", or, "it's a great deal - you should get it", or "you don't have to justify it". All the while, I'm trying to be good, but have no willpower. So I guess I'll be dropping a wad of cash, and putting a for sale sign on the 5200 (sniff, sniff - she's been wonderful )

By the way - you guys have not been doing a very good job of talking some sense into me! Or any sense, at all! That's okay - I forgive you all!

Aaarrrggggghh - on top of everything else, he brought home ice cream tonight! Evil, rotten enabler that he is! (drool drool, slurp slurp)