New girl, green as the grass

[ZoneFive]

I did some comparison shopping while I was out and about yesterday. I didn't see any pure-cork grips but there were a few with cork insets, and I liked the feel of them. I was hoping to take a look at a Brooks saddle, but I didn't see any of those, either. I did get a bicycle bell (I HATE it when cyclists sneak up behind me while I'm walking the dogs, and I don't want to do that to anyone else) and picked up the most recent Bicycling magazine. And then I came home and ordered plain cork grips from Amazon.

Rebecca: I did check eBay and found some fun-looking Schwinn grips -- blue glitter, with actual streamers! My inner five-year-old is all agog. Thanks very much for your notes on what I'll need to change if I go with a Brooks saddle in time, too.

Sheila, what can you tell me about Surly bikes? I've checked out their website, and apart from not really understanding a lot of their bike lingo, the first thing that comes to mind is hardcore. What do you love about your Krampus?