Taking the afternoon off to buy a bike!

[dreamshark]

Somewhere between Circumference of a Squirrel and Tales of Cunning and Wit I found time to visit Alt Bike and Board, and finally found a bike I liked! It needs a little bit of customization to make it perfect (different handlebars, adjustable handlebar stem, more comfortable seat) but this shop is happy to do all those things for no charge.

I finally realized that the bike I thought I wanted just didn't fit me right. No matter which size frame I tried, the Marin City Bikes were too tall in the front (causing the top bar to be uncomfortably close to my crotch) and had a brake cable that stuck out at an awkward angle and hit me in the inner thigh. And somehow the frame just didn't feel like it fit me. I started looking at other brands, but kept coming back to Marin. I finally realized that I could have all the features I wanted if I just switched my sights to the Urban Bike line and looked for a shop that could modify the stem.

So I tried a 17" Marin Muirwoods, and it felt really good. The Muirwood is a modified mountain bike (unlike most hyrbrids, which are modified road bikes). I liked the lower gearing and the agility of the smaller diameter, fatter wheel. The top bar is much lower than the other one and the brake cable wasn't hitting my leg.

After finding this bike yesterday I was too excited to focus on Fringe shows. So I went back to the shop at noon today to confirm that I wanted it and get my required customizations in writing. I sent Richard off to some afternoon shows at the Ritz by himself and just came home to relax and think about my new bike.

Comments

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

"I thought you two were peas in a pod" Yeah, I can see how it would seem that way, since you only really know us from this event. Normally we go our separate ways more often than not. One reason we've been getting such a kick out of ultra-fringing the last coupla years is that it's something we can do together. Last year I got to a lot more shows than Richard did. This year he just went nuts and out-Fringed me by 7 shows! He's always been a sucker for the "all you can eat" concept.