I have a lot of money to spend at REI

[sfa]

My overly generous sisters gave me a $400 REI giftcard for my 40th birthday. The theme of the whole gift was "second childhood"--they gave me 40 gifts, all things from my childhood (Slinky, crayons, bubblegum, Spirograph, etc.), and the last gift was this giftcard. They had in mind that I could use it to get a "fun" bike of the cruiser/comfort variety, but they also know that I'm vaguely in the market for an entry level road bike for the triathlon I'm doing this summer. Currently my only bike is my 20 year old touring/commuting bike. It's the best bike in the world and I love it and it fits me perfectly, and it *would* get me through the triathlon, but something lighter might be less tiring, not to mention somewhat faster (although for the record my only goal is to finish the race. I don't care about fast.).

So I'm not sure what to do with this money. Put it towards a road bike from REI (limited selection, don't entirely trust the REI staff to fit me properly)? Plunk it down on a pink Townie (or something similar, although probably not pink. I'm not a big pink fan. And I'm not sure how much use I'd get from a bike like this. It's fun, sure, but in reality how many leisurely rides to the nearby coffeeshop and library do I actually do? Um, none.)? Buy a whole lot of socks and either get a road bike elsewhere or suck it up and ride Maggie Miyata?

So I'm just throwing this out there for ideas. If you had $400 to spend at REI, what would you get?

Sarah

P.S. And how cool are my sisters?

[Aggie_Ama]

Your sisters rock! You can get a Cannondale (they can order more than in store) then take it to a shop you trust and buy a fitting. The entry Synapse is a nice bike and not ridiculously expensive. It is aluminum not carbon like the fancier ones. You could get the Townie as a "Woohoo I got free money and this thing is fun!!" I really want a Townie and right now I could only really ride it to the pool!

You could go online and get some bike clothes, better selection than the stores. You could get some Tri shoes. You could get a Polar HR Monitor to assist in your tri training or have one for a reason I do, it is neat. I *think* they have Tri transition bags online.

What would I get? This is purely things I want:

• Smart Wool
• Ibex goodies
• I actually like their women's clothes and can't bear to spend that much so I would buy some shirts, pants, etc...
• Garmin Bike Computer
• Garmin for my car because I am constantly lost
• Shoes, never have enough of those
• camping gear, there is always more I want

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My overly generous sisters gave me a $400 REI giftcard for my 40th birthday. The theme of the whole gift was "second childhood"--they gave me 40 gifts, all things from my childhood (Slinky, crayons, bubblegum, Spirograph, etc.), and the last gift was this giftcard.

Holy cow, that's a lot of stuff. You might consider donating some of it to a child care center or something.

[Biciclista]

gee, do you guys want to adopt me? what a fun thoughtful gift!

go to REI and look around! remember you don't have to spend it all at once!

[minn]

This is fun to think about...

I would definitely throw down for some new xc or downhill skis!! Also, a great quality tent.

Have fun & take your time.

Also, I was always thankful I didn't have any sisters until I read this post.. hahaha

[Cataboo]

If you want a bike trainer, this would also be a good time.

Try going into an REI and giving their bike people a chance... some of them I've found to be pretty knowledgable, others not.

[Aggie_Ama]

If you want a bike trainer, this would also be a good time.

Try going into an REI and giving their bike people a chance... some of them I've found to be pretty knowledgable, others not.

True, one of the best wrenches I know works at REI. He wanted a company he knew had stability and a good employee rep (the people that work there love it).

[sfa]

Holy cow, that's a lot of stuff. You might consider donating some of it to a child care center or something.

LOL! It's less than it sounds--four packs of bubble gum, three of Pop Rocks, one of Necco wafers and two boxes of cookies counted for a quarter of all the gifts. Most others were tiny (two bottles of nail polish, a package of stickers--that kind of thing). The others have already been taken over by my kids, and I think I'll use some of the crafts with my Girl Scout troop. The jump rope is mine, though, and I intend to get a lot of use out of it!

My favorite was a Lemon Twist. Does anyone remember those? It was a black rubber hose thing that looped around one ankle and had a plastic lemon on the end. You'd spin the thing around with one foot and jump over it with the other. http://www.timewarptoys.com/lemon.jpg One of my sisters was forever breaking toes on the thing, which probably explains why they aren't made anymore. And because they aren't made anymore, my family went and made their own with strong cable covered with rubber tubing and a plastic lemon meant for fake floral/fruit arrangements at the end.

Sarah

[sfa]

Ooh, thanks for the ideas and advice! Does anyone know if REI would order a bike just to let me test ride it? The REI closest to me doesn't have a great selection, although I've never looked at a time in the cycling season when they'd be more likely to have a good stock. I did buy my daughter a bike there in October and the guy who was selling it and setting it up wasn't very helpful--I ended up adjusting everything for her myself and showing her how to work everything before she test rode it, but maybe I just caught him on a bad day. He was nice enough, just not really engaged.

A trainer or a GPS are good ideas. I have/had a GPS but it disappeared sometime in the last year. I used it while camping, and I remember having it in the car on the way home but I haven't seen it since then. I hate to replace it until I've completely turned my house upside down, though. But it's driving me nuts not having it and I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out!

Sarah

[badger]

I'm in the same situation with the first tri sort of thing - do you have everything else you need for it? like tights, jacket, shirt, bra, etc? I couldn't believe how little I have in terms of preparation for the event.

You can never have too many merino wool socks

[Cataboo]

Ooh, thanks for the ideas and advice! Does anyone know if REI would order a bike just to let me test ride it? The REI closest to me doesn't have a great selection, although I've never looked at a time in the cycling season when they'd be more likely to have a good stock. I did buy my daughter a bike there in October and the guy who was selling it and setting it up wasn't very helpful--I ended up adjusting everything for her myself and showing her how to work everything before she test rode it, but maybe I just caught him on a bad day. He was nice enough, just not really engaged.

Sarah

REI will definitely let you order a bike just to try it out.

Try to get a different guy next time...

[Aggie_Ama]

Oh another thing I have wanted but haven't splurged on yet- a Find You Spot. If you are a camper/hiker/cyclist they are pretty neat gadget.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

LOL! It's less than it sounds--four packs of bubble gum, three of Pop Rocks, one of Necco wafers and two boxes of cookies counted for a quarter of all the gifts. Most others were tiny (two bottles of nail polish, a package of stickers--that kind of thing). The others have already been taken over by my kids, and I think I'll use some of the crafts with my Girl Scout troop. The jump rope is mine, though, and I intend to get a lot of use out of it!

Oh that's different, I thought they were mostly all toys. Good that you can eat them and your kids can use them.
Jump roping is good exercise (and really wears you out!)

[Cataboo]

I'm in the same situation with the first tri sort of thing - do you have everything else you need for it? like tights, jacket, shirt, bra, etc? I couldn't believe how little I have in terms of preparation for the event.

You can never have too many merino wool socks

Seriously... I'm going to take a picture of my sock chest.

It is literally possible to have too many pairs of merino wool socks.

[jobob]

Wow, what fun, Sarah!

Have a great birthday and enjoy your gifts!