Article - Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable,reliable for riding to work

Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable, reliable for
riding to work
By JOE MILLER - McClatchy Newspapers

Last Updated 12:31 pm PDT Wednesday, June 25, 2008

http://www.sacbee.com/851/story/1039343.html

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When Steve Wilson decided to upgrade his three-speed
English touring bike to something better suited to getting him to work
and around Durham, N.C., more efficiently, he had something
utilitarian in mind.

"I like riding in town," Wilson says, "riding to the shopping center,
to pick up things."

Functionality, reliability and sturdiness topped his must-have list.

He wound up with the Novara Fusion, which fits those parameters. But
it's also one of the more fun of a new breed of fun - and functional -
bikes that have flooded the market over the past several years.

Twenty-five years ago, bikes fell into two basic categories: kid bikes
and road bikes. Upon graduating to the latter, with its butt-bruising
stiff seat and handlebars requiring more stretching than most grown-
ups were willing to endure, all but the hard-core parked their rides
in a remote corner of the garage.

U.S. bike sales dropped accordingly, from a record 15.2 million sold
in 1973 to just 6.8 million nine years later.

Eventually, bike manufacturers got the message. They began producing
rider-friendly bikes, bikes with more comfortable seats, that let the
rider sit in an upright position and that had more and more gears
(we're up to 30 now) to help lessen the grind of hills.

Today, those bikes - broadly referred to as hybrids - are buoying an
otherwise flat bike market: Last year, according to the National
Bicycle Dealers Association, 16.5 million hybrids were sold in the
U.S., a 25 percent increase in just three years. Sales of these
already popular bikes have spiked since the first of the year as
people refuse to pay $4 for a gallon of gas.

"There's been an explosion in those types of bikes on the market,"
according to Thomas Prehn, president of Colorado-based Boulder Sports
Research, which follows bike industry trends.

"We had our best May ever," says Kevin Coggins, owner of The Spin
Cycle bike shop in Cary.

"We've seen very good bike sales," agrees Curtis Dobbins, who manages
the bike shop for the Durham REI store. "And some of that is a
reflection of where gas prices are."

The bikes in this category may seem expensive; especially to someone
whose last bike was a Schwinn Varsity. Expect to pay $500 to $1,000.
"But with gas prices," Dobbins says, "you'll have it paid for in a
month."

A feature on some of the new bikes even cuts down on maintenance
costs. Internally geared bikes have all the gears - generally from
three to eight - encased in the rear hub. They don't need lubrication
and because they're sheltered from the elements, they rarely get
messed up.

Cushier seats and the upright design make these bikes more
comfortable. Small touches such as a trunk under the rear seat, quick-
release fenders and even coffee cup holders make riding a bike a
different experience than it was even 10 years ago.

You can further increase a bike's usefulness with racks and pannier
systems that let you tote everything from your laptop to groceries.

With so many fun and functional bikes available, how do you know which
one is best for you? We hit three local bike stores to see what the
most popular bikes were in the hybrid category (which bike
manufacturers have divided into subcategories with names such as "Bike
Path," "Urban" and "Multi-Street").

On Jun 30, 10:58 am, Ablang wrote:
Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable, reliable for
riding to work
By JOE MILLER - McClatchy Newspapers

Last Updated 12:31 pm PDT Wednesday, June 25, 2008

http://www.sacbee.com/851/story/1039343.html


The article kinda cuts off w/o a real closing.
But that Fusion for $750 w/ fenders, lights, a dynohub, and no
derailuer looks like just the ticket to replace the 3/4 truck you used
to use to haul yer ass to the office.

On Jun 30, 1:26*pm, DennisTheBald wrote:
On Jun 30, 10:58 am, Ablang wrote:

Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable, reliable for
riding to work
By JOE MILLER - McClatchy Newspapers

Last Updated 12:31 pm PDT Wednesday, June 25, 2008

http://www.sacbee.com/851/story/1039343.html

The article kinda cuts off w/o a real closing.
But that Fusion for $750 w/ fenders, lights, a dynohub, and no
derailuer looks like just the ticket to replace the 3/4 truck you used
to use to haul yer ass to the office.

It definitely cuts off in the middle. Do you have to subscribe to
read the whole thing? Anyone have access to the whole article? It
was just getting interesting.

Thanks,
-pd

Peter Davis wrote:
On Jun 30, 1:26 pm, DennisTheBald wrote:
On Jun 30, 10:58 am, Ablang wrote:

Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable, reliable for
riding to work
By JOE MILLER - McClatchy Newspapers
Last Updated 12:31 pm PDT Wednesday, June 25, 2008
http://www.sacbee.com/851/story/1039343.html
The article kinda cuts off w/o a real closing.
But that Fusion for $750 w/ fenders, lights, a dynohub, and no
derailuer looks like just the ticket to replace the 3/4 truck you used
to use to haul yer ass to the office.

It definitely cuts off in the middle. Do you have to subscribe to
read the whole thing? Anyone have access to the whole article? It
was just getting interesting.


Actually, that is the whole article. It also appears in other
newspapers like the Miami Herald.
Thanks,
-pd

Peter Davis wrote:
On Jun 30, 1:26 pm, DennisTheBald wrote:
On Jun 30, 10:58 am, Ablang wrote:

Bikes for the commute: New models more comfortable, reliable for
riding to work
By JOE MILLER - McClatchy Newspapers
Last Updated 12:31 pm PDT Wednesday, June 25, 2008
http://www.sacbee.com/851/story/1039343.html
The article kinda cuts off w/o a real closing.
But that Fusion for $750 w/ fenders, lights, a dynohub, and no
derailuer looks like just the ticket to replace the 3/4 truck you used
to use to haul yer ass to the office.

It definitely cuts off in the middle. Do you have to subscribe to
read the whole thing? Anyone have access to the whole article? It
was just getting interesting.

The same article was in other McClatchy Newspapers, and they apparently
edited the rest of the article out (and a poor edit!).

The same article was in other McClatchy Newspapers, and they apparently
edited the rest of the article out (and a poor edit!).

Yeah, but you can get more info about the Novara bikes on the REI
website.
This Fusion doesn't look that bad for a wedgie. Of course it's set up
for commuting back and forth to work, not hauling home half a years
worth of toilet paper from the super shopper club... but I reckon you
could pull a trailer with it too, maybe.

didjya ever notice how much folding wire baskets look like shopping
carts, that might be a pretty cool trailer with a flat bed and fold
down wire frame sides.