I think I found the perfect bike for my daughter!

[azfiddle]

To recap- my previously non-cycling daughter has planned to do a month long tour through England and Scotland. I have been researching bikes for her from "across the pond", as she is living in Cambridge, England and I'm in Arizona.

The Dawes Vantage was the possibly the best choice- it's entry level, but comes in a 43 cm frame (she's short like me), equipped with touring gears, fenders and a rack. It costs 500 pounds brand new, which is a little more than I can help her with, even after selling my Fuji.

I happened to search the UK ebay listings- and found a 2010 demo model of that exact bike at a shop right in Cambridge- and it is still available, at about half of the list price. If it's fits, by this time tomorrow she will be the proud owner, just in time for Chanukah!


Here's what it looks like:
http://www.dawescycles.com/p-222-vantage.aspx

[Crankin]

That's great!
What a find.

[jyyanks]

Congratulations! I'm so glad things are looking good. Here's hoping that it fits and she will have a brand new bike for her tour soon!

[Tri Girl]

Yay!! What luck! Crossing fingers it all works out!

[azfiddle]

They had to cut the seat post down to fit her, but she loves the bike!! She's bringing it home in an hour. Hurray.

[limewave]

Yay! How exciting!!!!

[Biciclista]

fanatastic news! craigslist shopping from afar. I LOVE it.

[Reesha]

That is really exciting, AZ. Has she been doing much training in preparation?

[maillotpois]

Fantastic!!! Looks like a great bike.

[azfiddle]

So far, she has been going to her gym regularly and doing the "hill climbing" program on the stationary bike. She will be riding outside with her BF this spring to get ready. It's going to be an adventure, for sure!

Now I guess I have to use my long-distance shopping skills to find the boyfriend the right bike too

[PamNY]

What great news! So, the boyfriend needs a bike, too? Let us know how it goes.

[indysteel]

What fun! You'll have to tell us all about her trip; it sounds like a blast!

[hebe]

That's wonderful news - congratulations on a great find!

[malkin]

You are quite a matchmaker!!

[azfiddle]

She LOVES her bike and can't wait to start riding it. I am so happy. The LBS was very helpful to her, and will be helping her outfit the bike for the tour as well- they told her to price the panniers on line and they will meet the online price.

And that's not all. When she told the guys at the LBS that the BF also needs a bike, they offered to sell him the same bike, brand new, at 20% off list (400 pounds instead of 500). They are checking their stock and will let her know if they have it in his size.

I'm apparently now the official long-distance bike shopping consultant for their tour, as now one of their friends also needs a bike for the trip and wants me to help him locate one. I love it.