BMCCASLAND and MUDMUCKER -- Magdalene begs* to differ with you. (She was a bit huffy* about it.) "Tell them I am a 2L dog, count them 2000 millileters, not a puny 1 L Chihuahua midget dog!" Just because she took a correspondence chemistry course from "Keep Your Dog Occupied During the Day University," she thinks she's Watson and Crick, Jonas Salk, and Albert Einstein all rolled into one.

The day I bought her there was a snowstorm predicted. I was supposed to pick her up after work but I knew we were going to be snowed in by mid-afternoon. So I raced to the breeder on my lunch hour, picked her up, and hid her in my lab cubicle for the remainder of the afternoon. However it's hard to hide a puppy in a lab.

I still regret that I didn't bring home her brother too. He was black and had this incredible sweet dome head and liquid brown eyes.....

Back to the bikes......

UFORGOT and TAHOEY suggested Gary Fisher bikes. Bless them both for taking the time.

How very odd since I scoured the Gary Fisher website yesterday and came up dry and then magically their two suggestions appeared this morning.

I've narrowed it down to 4 bikes, well 3, I think the "Simple City 8W" is just a nod to the fantasy that Magdalene would actually ride in the basket peacefully unlike the last time I tried it and she screamed to any passerby, "I'm a kidnapped German princess who is being tortured held against her will!"

Here is the link to the four bikes compared. TAHOEY votes for the Utopia and UFORGOT loved her Advance. The listing of components makes my head spin without a clue.

In case the link doesn't work, they are all Gary Fisher bikes: Utopia, Montare, Advance Step-thru, and Simple City 8W.

Which bike has the best components, the lowest granny gears, is the most lightweight, and can have fenders and racks attached?

* I can't believe I'm making bicycle and dog puns in the same paragraph. Where are the off-topic police when you need them?