I'm a biker (cycler?) now! Or at least I will be tomorrow, when we pick up our new bikes! After days of research and going back and forth from Cynergy Cycles, Helen Cycle's and Performance Bike, we finally chose our bikes and bought them!
The bike obsession first started with beach cruisers. Last summer we went to Santa Monica Beach and rented cruisers for a couple of hours and rode down to Venice. We thought it would have been awesome if we had cruisers and could do this whenever we wanted. We could just get a bike rack on my SUV and drive down to the beach to cruise. I was especially enamored by the Hello Kitty one below. Beach Cruisers are about $300-$350 so we had to do some careful thinking.
Turns out bike racks are not for beach cruisers, but for "real" bikes. So we started looking around at real bikes. I found one I liked at Helen's Cycles that was on sale for $370 from $470 because it was last year's model. Who knew bikes were like cars! It was by Trek and a specialized "women's" bike because it had a low... forget what it's called but basically you can step over it easily to get on. It has 21-gears and a suspension fork for a smoother ride. Well, of course I didn't pay too much attention to that -- for me it had to be the right color combination. :P
But anyways, it turns out that bike did not have the conventional frame either and could not be stored or transported on a bike rack.
I went to Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica and fell in love with the Specialized bikes, especially the white Vita bike with stenciled butterflies on them. Okay, enough of the girly stuff, this was a more serious bike, made for commuting longer rides in the city. If I'm going to be biking from Brentwood to Santa Monica, then possibly down to Venice Beach for Omelets, I'm going to need a smooth, comfortable ride. I really liked the ride on the Vita Sport, but it didn't come in white. And in either case, they ran out of the Small, which was my size.
But since I wasn't willing to wait 10 business days for them to order/build my bike, I settled on the men's version of the same bike, the Sirrus. The frame is not specialized for women but at this size, it still fit me pretty well. The ride was very smooth, and this one came with carbon fiber forks for a smoother ride. (Super bike talk right there) Anyways it's a sleek bike and handles really well. They are adding a kick stand and a rear tray (I need to strap down my purse somewhere) and it'll be ready to pick up tomorrow. It's a $830 bike but with my smooth talking I talked them down to $710. Actually, that was a combination of the "two-bike" discount and they also had the price on the tag wrong so had to honor the old price. Steve got the exact same bike in silver.
I can't wait to ride my new bike around our new neighborhood! Yipee!
Some extra details:
Ergonomic Fitness/Commute
FIT MEETS FAST Every Sirrus® offers the speed and agility of a road racing bike, paired with enhanced ergonomics and the control of a flat handlebar. A simple, light and worry-free choice for anything from fitness-based training to commuting and event rides.
Inside Tech
The front end of our Sirrus models has "user-friendly" written all over it: flat handlebars give you more control and easy maneuverability, wide-range gearing ensures confidence in varied terrain, BG Comfort grips reduce hand numbness and a proprietary FACT carbon fork with vibration-damping Zertz™ inserts smoothes out your ride.
Technical Specifications
FRAME Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, fully manipulated tubing, compact design, FACT carbon seatstays w/ Zertz inserts
REAR SHOCK N/A
FORK Specialized FACT carbon, bonded carbon legs, Zertz inserts, fender mounts
HEADSET Specialized Mindset, 1 1/8" integrated threadless, sealed bearings, alloy 40mm cone
STEM Specialized 3D forged 6061 alloy, 31.8mm bar clamp
HANDLEBARS Specialized Event, A1 Premium Aluminum alloy, 580mm width, 31.8mm
TAPE/GRIPS Body Geometry Comfort II, triple density gel, alloy lock-on feature
FRONT BRAKE Cold-Forged 6061 alloy, 85mm linear pull w/ cartridge pads
REAR BRAKE Cold-Forged 6061 alloy, 85mm linear pull w/ cartridge pads
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano EF-50, EZ Fire, integrated w/ shift lever
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano T301, 31.8 clamp, bottom pull
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Sora, long cage
SHIFT LEVERS Shimano EF-50, EZ Fire
CASSETTE FREEWHEEL Shimano HG-50, 8-speed 12-25t
CHAIN KMC Z-51, 8-speed
CRANKSET Sugino XD, five arm, polished arms w/ chainguard
CHAINRINGS 48x38x28T
BOTTOM BRACKET Sport cartridge, square taper, 68 x 113mm
PEDALS Composite body, alloy cage w/ toe clips and straps
RIMS Alex S500, 700c, alloy double wall, machined sidewalls
FRONT HUB Specialized forged alloy, 32 hole, double sealed bearings, QR
REAR HUB Specialized forged alloy, 32 hole, double sealed bearings, QR
SPOKES Stainless 14g
FRONT TIRE Specialized All Condition, 700x28c, wire bead, 60TPI w/ Flak Jacket
REAR TIRE Specialized All Condition, 700x28c, wire bead, 60TPI w/ Flak Jacket
TUBES Specialized standard presta tube
SADDLE Specialized Sonoma, 155mm width
SEAT POST Forged alloy, 27.2mm
SEAT BINDER Specialized CNC, alloy, 31.8mm clamp
NOTES Chain stay protector, chain catcher, clips and straps, derailleur hanger, clear coat, owners manual
The bike obsession first started with beach cruisers. Last summer we went to Santa Monica Beach and rented cruisers for a couple of hours and rode down to Venice. We thought it would have been awesome if we had cruisers and could do this whenever we wanted. We could just get a bike rack on my SUV and drive down to the beach to cruise. I was especially enamored by the Hello Kitty one below. Beach Cruisers are about $300-$350 so we had to do some careful thinking.
Turns out bike racks are not for beach cruisers, but for "real" bikes. So we started looking around at real bikes. I found one I liked at Helen's Cycles that was on sale for $370 from $470 because it was last year's model. Who knew bikes were like cars! It was by Trek and a specialized "women's" bike because it had a low... forget what it's called but basically you can step over it easily to get on. It has 21-gears and a suspension fork for a smoother ride. Well, of course I didn't pay too much attention to that -- for me it had to be the right color combination. :P
But anyways, it turns out that bike did not have the conventional frame either and could not be stored or transported on a bike rack.
I went to Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica and fell in love with the Specialized bikes, especially the white Vita bike with stenciled butterflies on them. Okay, enough of the girly stuff, this was a more serious bike, made for commuting longer rides in the city. If I'm going to be biking from Brentwood to Santa Monica, then possibly down to Venice Beach for Omelets, I'm going to need a smooth, comfortable ride. I really liked the ride on the Vita Sport, but it didn't come in white. And in either case, they ran out of the Small, which was my size.
But since I wasn't willing to wait 10 business days for them to order/build my bike, I settled on the men's version of the same bike, the Sirrus. The frame is not specialized for women but at this size, it still fit me pretty well. The ride was very smooth, and this one came with carbon fiber forks for a smoother ride. (Super bike talk right there) Anyways it's a sleek bike and handles really well. They are adding a kick stand and a rear tray (I need to strap down my purse somewhere) and it'll be ready to pick up tomorrow. It's a $830 bike but with my smooth talking I talked them down to $710. Actually, that was a combination of the "two-bike" discount and they also had the price on the tag wrong so had to honor the old price. Steve got the exact same bike in silver.
I can't wait to ride my new bike around our new neighborhood! Yipee!
Some extra details:
Ergonomic Fitness/Commute
FIT MEETS FAST Every Sirrus® offers the speed and agility of a road racing bike, paired with enhanced ergonomics and the control of a flat handlebar. A simple, light and worry-free choice for anything from fitness-based training to commuting and event rides.
Inside Tech
The front end of our Sirrus models has "user-friendly" written all over it: flat handlebars give you more control and easy maneuverability, wide-range gearing ensures confidence in varied terrain, BG Comfort grips reduce hand numbness and a proprietary FACT carbon fork with vibration-damping Zertz™ inserts smoothes out your ride.
Technical Specifications
FRAME Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, fully manipulated tubing, compact design, FACT carbon seatstays w/ Zertz inserts
REAR SHOCK N/A
FORK Specialized FACT carbon, bonded carbon legs, Zertz inserts, fender mounts
HEADSET Specialized Mindset, 1 1/8" integrated threadless, sealed bearings, alloy 40mm cone
STEM Specialized 3D forged 6061 alloy, 31.8mm bar clamp
HANDLEBARS Specialized Event, A1 Premium Aluminum alloy, 580mm width, 31.8mm
TAPE/GRIPS Body Geometry Comfort II, triple density gel, alloy lock-on feature
FRONT BRAKE Cold-Forged 6061 alloy, 85mm linear pull w/ cartridge pads
REAR BRAKE Cold-Forged 6061 alloy, 85mm linear pull w/ cartridge pads
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano EF-50, EZ Fire, integrated w/ shift lever
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano T301, 31.8 clamp, bottom pull
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Sora, long cage
SHIFT LEVERS Shimano EF-50, EZ Fire
CASSETTE FREEWHEEL Shimano HG-50, 8-speed 12-25t
CHAIN KMC Z-51, 8-speed
CRANKSET Sugino XD, five arm, polished arms w/ chainguard
CHAINRINGS 48x38x28T
BOTTOM BRACKET Sport cartridge, square taper, 68 x 113mm
PEDALS Composite body, alloy cage w/ toe clips and straps
RIMS Alex S500, 700c, alloy double wall, machined sidewalls
FRONT HUB Specialized forged alloy, 32 hole, double sealed bearings, QR
REAR HUB Specialized forged alloy, 32 hole, double sealed bearings, QR
SPOKES Stainless 14g
FRONT TIRE Specialized All Condition, 700x28c, wire bead, 60TPI w/ Flak Jacket
REAR TIRE Specialized All Condition, 700x28c, wire bead, 60TPI w/ Flak Jacket
TUBES Specialized standard presta tube
SADDLE Specialized Sonoma, 155mm width
SEAT POST Forged alloy, 27.2mm
SEAT BINDER Specialized CNC, alloy, 31.8mm clamp
NOTES Chain stay protector, chain catcher, clips and straps, derailleur hanger, clear coat, owners manual
4 comments:
its cute! but wow $700 @_@ just use up 700$ of gas on it and itll be worth it!! well and you arent adding pollution yay! also i expect to see a tan when i go there!
We biked to dinner on Beverly Dr... gosh it's so much faster to get there on a bike than walking!
We were such beginners, toppling over whenever I turned a corner or tried to avoid a puddle, hopping on and off clumsily at red lights... it got tiring!
After dinner we rode around for a little bit... I felt like a kid playing in the street!
aw..i wish i was a bike rider. aren't your butt and thighs sore now? haha
Not my thighs, but definitely the butt. :)
Post a Comment