Best Bike Buying Advice, EVER!

[lph]

and you probably had to get up before you went to bed, too.

And young people of today - they just don't believe it!

[ny biker]

When I was in grad school, I lived in a studio apartment in Evanston, IL. There was a futon on the floor, which was my bed and my sofa. I had two chairs and an end table that I found at a garage sale, but the chairs were uncomfortable, so they were mostly for decorative purposes. My dresser was from a garage sale, too.

The windows were all really old and had gaps around them. I pushed plastic grocery bags into the gaps in a feeble attempt to keep the cold air out in the winter.

Ironically, this place had a separate kitchen, and it was the only apartment I've ever had that had room for a table in the kitchen. I had a cheap metal table that I must have gotten at Kmart or some such. There was a nice set of french doors (again, the only time I've ever had anything like that) between the kitchen and the main room. But there was no radiator in the kitchen, so in the winter I had to keep the doors closed in order to keep the temperature reasonable in the main room. Which meant I had to wear my coat and hat when I went into the kitchen to make the ramen noodles or macaroni and cheese (with diced hotdogs mixed in and some peas for color, of course.)

I had a 13-inch TV that my parents had given me as a gift.

When I lived there, I told myself that someday I would look back and figure those were the good old days when life was simple.

When I graduated and started working, the first thing I did was go out and buy myself a stereo. Which I still have, 20 years later. I did replace the tape deck with a CD player.

[divingbiker]

When I graduated and started working, the first thing I did was go out and buy myself a stereo.

My first purchase was a washer and dryer. I grew up going to the laundromat, so having my own W/D meant I had made it!

[Tokie]

The theme of this thread has kind of changed. My only claim to suffering in college that is of any amusement is that I always had a "party line" for phone service. A good $ saver. I remember being on hold while trying to make airline reservations to go home for Christmas (thanks to Mom and Dad). I was on hold for a long time, and the other "party" came on the phone and yelled at my for tying up "our " line. Housing was always fairly decent and affordable in Pocatello Idaho! by the way, I am too silly to be hot. Tokie

[PamNY]

by the way, I am too silly to be hot. Tokie

That line has GOT to be put on a T-shirt. Or an embroidered cushion. Or something.

[fidlfreek]

Ok everyone - deep breaths! - I think Smurf just had a friend who meant to say "cut the s*** and just ride the best bike you can buy cause life is short"

Amen to that. Ladies, I was that person who debated endlessly...and just ended up pinching my nose and jumping in and love the bike I chose. But I would have equally loved the Cervelo, or Scott, or Orbea I'm sure.

She shouldn't leave - because she was just passing on what for her was wisdom. And for people like me it would have also been good advice!

[sundial]

Ok everyone - deep breaths! - I think Smurf just had a friend who meant to say "cut the s*** and just ride the best bike you can buy cause life is short"

Yes, but the guy's remark was delivered as a sexist, shallow remark with condescending overtones.

The irony to this is the 50 yr olds make up a market that generally has more buying power, not the 20 somethings.

[Zen]

I just think she doesn't know enough 50 year olds in real life

[smurfalicious]

Ya know, I've tried to redirect this, tried to ignore it, and I've flat out had it. So, I have a few things to say before I bow out.

I've decided that a combination of being "internet brave" and a desperate need to feel always feel offended/insulted is a dangerous thing. I should have known that though, because in my travels I've discovered that's just how some people are. It's like their body kicks out endorphins whenever they're aghast at something. This is the part where you tell me at my age I couldn't possibly know a thing about humanity. The awesome part about this is as long as you were born before 1/26/82 you can use that line all the way to your grave!

The way I see it, if that offends you maybe it's because you see that in yourself. I've seen numerous sweeping generalizations about "hicks in pickup trucks," that were far from kind. As a pickup driving country girl I could let that get under my skin, but I know that's not me, I'm not the jerk clipping folks with their rear view mirror and I recycle my beer cans so I have no plans to chuck it at you. I don't think of ANY of you ladies as the type to run out and buy a bike as a status symbol just because you can. That got lost in translation and once again I'm going to apologize but it will be ignored because being indignant is more fun than accepting apologies. I have the utmost respect for all of you but apparently that doesn't go both ways or you wouldn't have lit into me from every direction and then consoled yourselves calling it "sensitivity training."

I could totally see if I was totally new around here that perhaps people might think I was trolling for hissy fits. However since 99% of you have read my posts you probably have a feel for my sense of humor. Yeah a lot gets lost in translation and I believe I apologized for that several times but rather than let it go, the same folks who were so offended turned around and spit venom towards me, put words in my mouth, and made wholly unfounded judgments about myself and my friend. Hold on, I'm trying really hard to find the equation where two wrongs make a right, but since I'm, what was it, "Not the sharpest tool in the shed," I've forgotten my 6th grade math.

Here's the thing, every has a different sense of humor, thus the success of Borat. That makes life interesting. I was having a pretty craptacular week and my buddy's comments made me laugh my butt off. I realize not everyone finds the things I do amusing but if we only shared whitewashed Beaver Cleaver stuff I think this would be a pretty dull forum. I personally turned Borat off and was grateful I had the 5 at a time plan from Netflix, I suppose a similar theory could apply here.

As for words, they're only what you let them be. They only have the power you give them. After participating in my school's production of the Vagina Monologues I came to love "See you next Tuesday." It has a great ring to it in my book. I don't think cougar is bad at all. Guys get called much worse and hey if a woman is foxy enough to snag the youngins good for her, she can train um! One of the girls who worked in our office (now in Cali with her sweet BlkMrkt dirt jump bike) is a top ranked downhill superstar. She's a few years older than me, maybe 30, but since all the young boys in the scene chase her cuz she's a little hotty we call her a cougar and she wears it with pride. I say take it, own it, it loses its power. Perhaps I'm too young or spent too much time around old cowboys, but I've never heard anyone utter "broad" in a less than endearing manner.

Further, if anyone is going to get butthurt about this whole thing it should be me! "You're as good looking as you'll ever be." Eh hem! That's a nice way of saying "Hey, I saw you at InterBike and you aren't the cute little mountain bike racer you used to be."

And for the record, youth is not wasted on the young, and I have the xrays to prove it! Hey, if riding bulls, bikes, horses, and other objects that I can get tossed off of sends my chiropractor on a nice Hawaiian vacation, then it all balances out.

Anyway, it's late and I need to hop in the shower and get ready for my hot first date tomorrow with the purdy 2008 Blue RC7 my coworker's shop ordered for me (Gasp! The "sales pitch" failed, I bought from someone else!). It's been real, it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun. I'll miss shooting the breeze with you all, but if I wanted histrionics (very big word for a dull hoe) I'd hang out on the RBR or MTBR forums.