Cruisin Around Thoughts

Like I mentioned in my ramblings I am downsizing the stable and going with just two (for now):

1. Long Touring Road Bike
2. Commuter/Daily Errands/Nights Out on the town Cruiser

Let's look at my needs here.

My daily commute now is in Atlanta which has perfect weather. Currently that ride is only 16 miles round trip. There are some inclines to consider, however....this commute will soon be transferred to a new location all together so a fancy commuter is overkill. Specifically I will be commuting in Allentown, Pennsylvania in a couple months. That's right I'm moving.... soon. Well we all are- The Biskit, me and the dogs. And the bikes, of course. That really is beside the point- I'm going to be going back to college is the actual point here. I'm not familiar with the terrain up there either, which is posing a real problem in my decision making process.

I'm told the town/area has mountains, as opposed to all the hills here in Atlanta. But I can't imagine the campus(es) having mountains, and the pictures look flat so I'm betting for traditional campus terrain.

Now, this Daily-Commuter-Cruiser-Errand bike has some specific needs as I have visions of what I will be doing with it:

• Riding around campus with books. Potentially LOTS of books and a laptop
• Picking up groceries and dog food
• Hauling other misc stuff
• Going out on the town with the Biskit
• All in just regular daily clothes Chic Cyclist like (please see sidebar link)

Which leads to my wish list:

• Simple, low maintenance (i.e internal hub and coaster brake) I'm so tired of always working on my bikes just to ride them each day- I mean I really suck at the mechanics!
• Rack/basket options
• Easy step thru design
• Kinda fashionable color (i.e. not Turquoise or Purple)
• Chainguard is a MUST
• Fenders also a MUST
• Cushy, Ballooney tires would be fun

Here is the Gary Fisher Simple City 8. I really like the 8 speed internal hub, the internal wiring for a clean-er look, and the basket with stabilizer spring is pretty smart. The step thru design is elegant without looking odd, the leather grips and saddle are sweet too. The double kickstand is a nice touch for loading goods and it has fenders already.

Downside, the chainguard isn't a full cover which concerns me as I'm also sick of grease stains. I'd rather not have any wires and wish it had a light hub too. The tires are 700x32, but they are puncture resistant. The frame is aluminum, which I know makes it lighter, but with the step thru design I have found aluminum feels like a wet noodle with 40 pound loads of dog food. Also the color(s) don't jazz me up, and it's more than I would want to pay at $960 MSRP.

Looking at more affordable options. This blue classic Nancy Schwinn runs an MSRP of $350 and sports a 3 speed internal hub. It has the back rack ready for a basket and fenders over it's "Smooth Rolling Crusier" tires.

Again I like the saddle and grips in the (probably faux) leather and I really like the clean no-wire look as it sports a coaster brake. The color is a nice, blend in-don't stand out classic blue- I can totally picture it in a bike rack can't you?

But it seems to be pretty simple for the money...seems like it'd be in the $200 range to me.

Trek has this adorable cruiser- the Calypso 7 speed. Obviously not an internal hub, as one can see from the out-of-place looking derailleur hanging out under the chainguard like a hairy pair of....never mind. But really doesn't it look out of place? The chainguard is cool in the retro beach style, the paint job is cute with the pink sidewalls.

But the wires and the hairy balls- opps I mean hairy gearing just looks wrong. I can't stop staring at it! And why would they make all the wiring SO obvious too? Trek really shoulda made the wires at least pink or creme to match. That mess looks like headgear from a bad 80's flashback. This would be a cool bike if it had the internal gearing and coaster brake, I would pay $400 for it if it did. But it doesn't and retails for $410.

I haven't really warmed up to the Trek Lime, I know it's out there. I have seen a cool retrofit of it here. I, however, don't believe I have the talent or skills to do that. Now if they sold it like that....

Basically I'm still looking and figuring. I'm open for ANY suggestions at this point.

**Gosh, now that I re-read this I've got some more looking around to do. Where is Consumer Reports when I need them?