Best Bike Buying Advice, EVER!

[smurfalicious]

I sent my friend who owns a shop in PDX a lengthy email pondering the merits of two different bikes. I finally heard back from him, he rocks. Apologies to any 50 something chicks with American Express cards in their wallet.

sorry for the delay. my advice.. ride what you can while your alive, its not like you can have a bike like that in your next life. look, you're probably as good looking as you'll ever be so buy a really sexy bike that you love and love riding. the deal gets worse by the day, every day you are older, that bike is going to be less fun to ride. having a hot ride now is something that you can look back on and be proud of. any 50 yr old woman can walk into a shop and lay down the amex for something sexy but she won't look good on it. it's either your time or it is someone elses....
i wouldn't spend mine deliberating...

[Triskeliongirl]

Hmmm, what he is missing is that if you keep riding you will look pretty darn sexy in your 50s! I am actually sexier in my 50s than when I was younger. So, at 51 I finally got a sexy bike to match my body. Tell that to your friend! I get hit on by 30 somethings all the time on group rides..........more so since I got my cervelo. That was the funniest thing I noticed, how much more attention I got from the young male riders on a sexy bike.

[fatbottomedgurl]

Ok, I am 45 and find this really obnoxious. I am in way better shape now than when I was 30, and every day riding gets better and better. I have a friend in her 70's who kicks my *ss climbing hills on her mountain bike. I have a top of the line sexy mountain bike, and a pretty decent road bike. I really couldn't care less if some hot boy from a bike shop thinks I look good on my bike. Seriously, he should grow up. And I am not sorry for the rant.

I'm with triskeliongirl- I get hit on all the time on my bike by younger guys. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh man, Smurfette, I hope you re-read that when you are 50- I guarantee you'll get a big laugh out of it!

the deal gets worse by the day, every day you are older, that bike is going to be less fun to ride.

Um...nothing could be further from the truth! The opposite is true for most of us here. If it were true we should have all killed ourselves at age 18 and spared ourselves decades of misery.

you're probably as good looking as you'll ever be....any 50 yr old woman can walk into a shop and lay down the amex for something sexy but she won't look good on it

I look damn FINE on my bike, as do plenty of other 40, 50, and 60 year women on here. What planet is this guy from, Planet Romper Room?? He talks like a 15 year old. Besides, a bike can't make you sexy- only YOU can do that...with your 'tude. But then he doesn't know that yet since he's apparently still in high school.
If you ask me he sounds like those guys you work with.
If you want to and are able to buy a new bike for yourself, you should do it without needing any boy's approval or permission anyway.

Honestly. This thread is really just a joke, right?

[smurfalicious]

Ooof, really wasn't trying to stir sh*t up. I guess perhaps it seems different because I know him, but I just liked the "stop stewing on it and buy a damn bike and ride the piss out of it attitude." Don't thing he was bagging on age, I know there are some smoking cougars on his team. Besides, at 27 I still get carded for EVERYTHING so I'm pretty confident I'll be adorable forever.

[smurfalicious]

If you want to and are able to buy a new bike for yourself, you should do it without needing any boy's approval or permission anyway.

Oh no, wasn't seeking his approval or permission, just his advice. He helped me with my bike immensely back in the day. I value his opinion more than certain others so I asked what he thought of my two contenders since he knows me and how/what/when/where I like to ride. I sent him about 5 pages of whiney, indecisive drivel and his answer was shut up and ride.

Besides, my immense crush on him died back when we hung out and InterBike and he was this totally whipped, lame, subdued version of himself. He buys his girlfriend bad *** bikes all the time that she could care less about. It's not fair, really, it's not.

[fatbottomedgurl]

I learned this from my Dad:
Buy the absolute best you can afford. If you can't afford it, wait and save until you can, because you will always regret settling. With that said, at 27 and single you may be at the perfect place to buy the perfect bike...or not.

Hey, no offense. At my age I just get crabby after 9:00 especially if I haven't taken my Geritol.

[smurfalicious]

Hey, no offense. At my age I just get crabby after 9:00 especially if I haven't taken my Geritol.

Bwahaha! AM or PM? My hero's are old "broads" (like my "grandma") still out on their horses. My department head who at close to twice my age could ride the legs off of me. He hasn't missed a day of riding in 15-16 years (rode the trainer after hernia surgery) and regularly rides routes that the AToC covered. The 40 something beer bellied guys who can't ride rough stock anymore who drink as much as the young bucks on Thursday night and can still team rope the pants off them. My old neighbor who while pushing 80 refused to sell his farm to greedy developers and still ran a good number of cattle and kept horses for the grand kids. Oh and my mom who got her contractors license at like 54 and in addition to having her woodworking featured in galleries, she's teaching women's woodworking classes.

[Wahine]

I wanna grow up to be like those people. In the meantime... I'm going to buy the sexiest bike I possibly can and love riding it too. And love it when the 30 somethings try to pick me up. You're not "young" forever and while all stages of life have their goods and bads, I'm going to enjoy the goods as much as I can regardless of what stage I'm in.

[smilingcat]

Hi smurf,

I'm definitly in the older crowd and I just had to laugh at your friends comment so not to worry.

I do envy the younger people. You get to do things that I couldn't do or if I did would have raised more than an eyebrow back in the days.

Then there is my physical being. Every year, I get slower, speed wise and slower recovery. Every year my physical strength is just tiny bit weaker. And I've noticed my reaction time is not what it used to be.

I wish I was just as strong and just as fast, as when I was in my thirties and with the ligthning fast reflex.

As for wanting things beyond your reach...

Funny thing about us. We all have dreams and wants and it seems that these things are just out of our reach. For some, its being able to afford a brand new car. For others, its a brand new Lincoln... and goes up. For some, the dream is able to own a $100k car. And those who can afford a $100k car they dream of owning a $200k car. and so on. To dream just out of our reach is healthy I think. Life without dreams seems boring. Your desire for a nice bike sounds pretty healthy. Just out of your reach that is to say its not outlandishly out of reach like you want a turbo-charged Porche Carrera kind of thing.

Now about your desire for a nice bike. Don't buy a bike if you are not 100% happy about it. Buy it because you love it; not because what others think about who or what you are. If the bike you have serves your needs ignore your "friends"/co-wrokers who are ragging on you. Just remember, Lance can leave all of them in a dust with a rusted out beach cruiser while your co-workers ride on brand new pinerella (sp) or Cervelo bike. The thing that really matters is who is sitting on the seat. Be a reverse snob to them.

Think about this too... Lets say you financed and bought the dream bike. Will it still be a dream bike? You now have payments on the financing and that may crimp your lifestyle. It may affect your lifestyle to a point where you may resent the financial burden. Then the bike would not be fun anymore. Another thing, the special-ness will wear off and it will become just another bike you own. Next years model looks so much sexier, so much prettier, or the color scheme is so much better.

lust and dream for things out of your reach. And enjoy what you have to the fullest. And turn a deaf ear to those who say otherwise.

You own an amazing piece of photo equipment, a lovely horse, live in one fantastic place. Don't let "keeping up with the Jones" wreck your paradise. You have a wonderful bike you put together with your own hand. brought it back to life with your care and love. Enjoy her.

And with that, I'm really happy to say I really like my K2 cause it didn't dent my wallet or put a big 'ol hole in my pocket. And since I'm not racing, K2 serves me just right.

take care and keep on dreaming,
smilingcat

[uforgot]

This thread is like someone who says "no offense, BUT...", or "Don't take this wrong, BUT", and then proceeds to offend you.

Edit: Can't let this go. You say you didn't want to stir up anything, but what did you expect? You openly insulted a large number of members of this board. Maybe you should try to embrace inner beauty? Wisdom? Kindness? You may look great on your bike, Smurf, (and no offense), BUT...your post shows that you don't appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer at this point in your life. Hopefully, that will change as you grow older (it's inevitable) and wiser. Then you won't think that this is the best bike advice EVER.

[Kalidurga]

...but I just liked the "stop stewing on it and buy a damn bike and ride the piss out of it attitude."

Interesting thread. I can't recall that considerations of either sex or sexiness have ever entered my mind when I've thought of riding my bike. I will agree wholeheartedly with the attitude you described above, though. When I ride the piss out of my bike, I do it for ME, for my enjoyment and good health. Not to look a certain way or get attention from anyone. But maybe that makes me weird.

[Duck on Wheels]

I think this guy's comment was one of those instances wehre you have to know the author to get the humor. Irony and flippancy do not come over well among strangers, especially in print. As one of the potentially offended older women on the board, I'm prepared to take Smurf's word for it that, knowing the guy, this was funny, not meant to be taken literally, and no offense intended. We can put our guns back in their holsters and pick up those teacups again, pinkies poised.

[Crankin]

Well, while I do wish I started riding in my 20s or 30s, I don't wish to be that age.
I ride with a group of people who are mostly older than me a few times a year. One ride was lead by an 83 year old . My goal is to be like them. They might not be the fastest, but, they are out there doing things that 98% of all Americans don't do, like 40 mile rides, 8 mile hikes, and x country skiing.
And, I know I am in better shape now than when I was overweight in my twenties or anorexic skinny in my thirties.
There's nothing wrong with being a 50 something with an Amex in her pocket.

[lph]

I guess I'm smack in the middle between the right age to buy a "hot, sexy bike" and the right age to afford one , but hey - I really can't see any need to get offended. How important can a bike be to your self-image anyway? Sure, he was "offensive" to 50 yr olds, but he was trying to cheer up a young woman, a friend, by being funny and encouraging, he wasn't sending a well-thought-out public message to all women cyclists out there. And it was "the best advice - ever" to smurf then and there, because it's what she needed to hear. I'm much stingier, so I don't agree with the "buy the best bike you can afford"-idea at all, but I can still appreciate the spirit behind the idea.

eta: I felt much the same way when I was browsing for a road bike, and a guy in his 50s, very overweight, came into the store, glanced around and casually walked out ten minutes later with the beeyoootifulll shiny sexy sleek red road bike I'd been lusting for but couldn't afford. Sure, I should have been thinking "woohoo, good for him, getting out there and getting into shape!" But I just kept thinking "waaahhh - that bike would've looked so much better going home with me!"