Do I need to be talked into or out of a new-to-me bike?

[owlice]

sorry dear, we only encourage here. Go with the love. if it feels good, go for it.

I suspect the choice of forum on which to ask shows a certain bias; I could have posted this on a "save all your money for the future" forum.

I would take the cash, add it to the tax refund and buy the best road bike I could afford.

I can't justify spending that much. About $1K is all I'll lay out for a bike/s (for me) this year. That "college" thing, you know, and I'd like to buy the kid a bike this year, too, since he's way outgrown his last bike. (Putting books on his head didn't help; he still grew.)

I should probably not even consider this until I ride it, which I'll do tomorrow. I was looking at it this morning, though, and it's prettier than I'd remembered...

There's always a few accessories that you want/need.

Already in the budget: lights, new rack, helmet. Anything else will have to wait.

Good idea to start testing road/touring bikes, though. Such a chore, but I'm sure I can manage.

[Velocivixen]

Have you test ridden anything? I test rode the Trek 7300 and was not thrilled. For your rides that you want to do I would do some research, actually go test ride, ask a lot of questions then decide. You still may end up with your friends bike, but at least you will know that you considered all your options thoroughly. I mean, what if you could get something that you like much better? It could be a missed opportunity.

[Geonz]

Consider taht maybe if somebody else gets a wonderful deal on that bike it will turn them on to cycling.

Of course, if you bought it, you could loan it out...

[pinsonp2]

Not knowing exactly which model of Sedona you have, I would think the Trek 7300 would not be a huge improvement. Don't get me wrong, it's a great bike (DH has one), but it is built for comfort and not speed. I would definitely try some road bikes before I bought anything (I personally am a road bike junky). I, too, am swayed by appealing looks, but only if the bike is something better than I already have. On the other hand, if it fits, and it makes you smile and ride more, go for it. Maybe next years tax refund can buy you a road bike.

P2

[owlice]

The Trek is definitely lighter than my Giant; I had to load the bikes for Wild Goose Chase, and the difference in weight was apparent. (The Trek is also... ummmm.... prettier!) And I would definitely lend it out; the friend who rode it for Wild Goose last year will probably need to ride it this year.

I was hoping to ride it tonight, but that didn't happen. So I rode my Giant.