Hellooooo!
See attached pics... (edit: I forgot to add one of how the bike first looked, so that will be in the next post)
It's been a long time and I just want to thank everyone again for the wonderful suggestions (!!!) and to share pics of my bike now that I've girlified her. Or is it girlified him? I don't know. She's now the "Queen of Hearts." Totally cheeseball name and I really overdid it with the hearts...so I'll probably pull off a sticker or two! What's funny is that when you add the yellow pannier bag/s, the bike shows every color in the actual Queen of Hearts card (white, red, black and yellow).
The first pic is a reminder of what my bike looked like (Trek FX 7.5) when I took HIM home from the shop. To be fair though, the shop did add some things: woman's seat; black fenders, silver mini bike pump; kick stand; cup holder; red saddle bag and mirror. Didn't help - just looked more like a police bike than anything, lol.
Then I added an argyle saddle bag that had red, pink and white colors but it didn't quite work either. Was trying too hard...
Then finally I did the following, the majority of which was thanks to all your advice! Looks so much better, me thinks: changed out the handlebars to ones that fit me better (a bit more upright and not so black - though kept the shifters); got an even cushier seat; went back to a red saddle bag; replaced the break cables with white; added a metal red front basket; white fenders; put on a silver rear rack; added a rhine stone red heart bike bell; added reflective stickers and red heart decorative tire valve caps (and good lights, a silver bottle cage and an iphone clear vinyl handlebar case, though those have nothing to do with girlifying the bike). Last but not least I changed out the 28c Bontrager tires for 32c Panaracer T-serv protex tires which feel AMAZING compared to those skinny hard sons o' beeches that came with the bike. I'm now bouncing along, as happy as can be.
...which is not to say I've gotten over the kidnapping of my '91 Bianchi Advantage hybrid women's bike. Every time I see a bright blue-purple bike go by I have to take a double-take to make sure it's not my beloved stolen bike.
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05-13-2013, 10:13 AM #1
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05-13-2013, 10:19 AM #2
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First pic here - if they don't reverse the order - is of the bike when I first brought it home from the store (after they added a few things to it). Just didn't look right to me! The rest after that are more of the latest photos...
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05-13-2013, 01:55 PM #3
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Thanks for the follow up. I love to see how people deck out their bikes. I especially like that red basket.
Trek Madone 4.7 WSD
Cannondale Quick4
1969 Schwinn Collegiate, original owner
Terry Classic
Richard Feynman: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”
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05-13-2013, 05:54 PM #4
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Thanks! If memory serves, those baskets come in an array of colors. Yep here they are - Sunlite brand: http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/shop/...icycle-baskets
The only problem is that the rear part of the basket scraped paint off my bike where it rubs against it. I had to wrap black tape around that area of the basket to stop the rubbing, only now I hear a squeaking sound from the tape. Ugh! I could put a little bike oil on there but it'll probably loosen the adhesive. I hate to get rid of the basket though - I really like how it's red too.
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05-13-2013, 06:03 PM #5
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Your bike looks beautiful! And going back to your first post, I feel somewhat neurotic right now, trying to choose a color for my new bike. The color I thought I wanted suddenly looked kind of masculine, so I've spent a good part of today imagining how to "girlify" it
So I laughed, and sighed with relief when I just came across this thread. Thank you! I like that your bike looks "girly" but not too girly (I hope that's what you were going for). Enjoy the ride!
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05-13-2013, 09:50 PM #6
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Thank you!!
Originally Posted by IBrakeforPastry
Your bike looks beautiful! And going back to your first post, I feel somewhat neurotic right now, trying to choose a color for my new bike. The color I thought I wanted suddenly looked kind of masculine, so I've spent a good part of today imagining how to "girlify" it So I laughed, and sighed with relief when I just came across this thread. Thank you! I like that your bike looks "girly" but not too girly (I hope that's what you were going for). Enjoy the ride!
Yes I didn't want it to be over the top girly, so I appreciate what you wrote. The color I wanted more than anything (have actually wanted it my whole life, ever since a friend in 7th grade got this color) is a light blue or sort of coastal blue type of color. Basically very close to the 2011 Trek FX 7.3 for women in Coastal Blue. But my torso's too tall for the Trek women's hybrids (which I wanted, after reading enough reviews). So I got the white/red/black Trek in men's only cause it was the least masculine looking of all the men's hybrids! Pretty silly huh?
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05-14-2013, 12:48 PM #7
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Nope, not silly at all, at least to me
I've been shopping for a bike and I'm afraid I'm going to make a decision based on appearance, and I know better.
My Trek FX was stolen when it was just a few months old, and it took me a couple of years to stop scrutinizing every bike I saw, hoping to find it again.
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