The long and short of it is that I paid $199 for a $700 Montague folding mountain bike for use on my flying trips. Over the intervening years I found that I much preferred flying with a friend rather than going places alone, and with a passenger on board there was no room for the bike. While the bike still saw periodic usage on the local trails, it really wasn't suitable for long rides. The seat was uncomfortable, as was the sitting position. Knowing that it was just not the right bike for my aging bones, I decided to try my luck at selling it on Craig's List. That went well; I walked away with $450 cash. Not bad for a $199 investment and five years of use.
The area in which I live is ripe with bike trails, and another one has just been completed just a few miles from my house. That got me to thinking that it might be time to cash in that bankroll on a new bike. I had no intention of spending $450, though. That said, I've had my fill of low-budget, low-quality bikes that suck the fun out of riding with their clanky grindy misaligned gears and various other constant maladies. Sticking solidly to the middle-tier, I found an interesting possibility in the Diamondback Edgewood. It's what is called a "hybrid," which is apparently the bastard child of a true road bike and a mountain bike. In what must have been the oddest ménage à trois in biking history, there is some "comfort" bike mixed in as well.
I usually avoid the pricier big box stores and prefer to order online, but my experience with things that are better tried on first (think shoes and jeans) led me to seek out a store that would provide an opportunity to try one out first. That, and assembly. I'm already building an airplane (www.schmetterlingaviation.com), I don't need any more assembly projects. So off I went to Dick's Sporting Goods.
What a tremendous experience!
First of all, it is the end of the model year for bikes (who knew??) and they had last year's model marked down from $379 to $299. I also had a $20 off coupon to go with it. They only had one left and it was the display model, but I had the sales guy get it off the rack for me so I could check the fit anyway. I was rubbing on a smudge of something sticky on the handle bar when the sales guy said that he could give me another 10% off for that "damage."
As we were talking it over, I mentioned how painful it is that bikes don't come with kickstands anymore. "No problem!" he said. He grabbed a kickstand off the shelf, and while he was there, he grabbed a water bottle holder too. He installed both of them. Then I noticed one of the wheels was rubbing one of the brake pads. "No problem!" Off came both wheels and he tuned them up. He also did a little doing on the shifters.
I ended up getting it for around $250 with the kick stand and bottle holder thrown in gratis.
At this point, I've ridden it around the block a few times - it's easily the best bike I've ever had! I can't wait to get out to the trails, although it's pretty windy today so I'll probably have to wait.
