Bike Shopping

It's late and I'm up surfing the web trying to find a new bicycle to buy. We've moved into another floor in our building and there are showers that we can use, meaning I can start riding to work again!

Man...there is a lot to consider...

I'm getting a road bike this time (always had a mountain bike) which means I have to fork over a lot of dough. Additionally, I imagine I'll constantly complain to Kim about how I want to ride trails and whatnot. But the road bike is most sensible, because the trails are a bit too far to ride on a weekday, and we don't have a car to go out on the weekend. Road bike it is!

So...what kind of road bike? crap. I've always played with the idea of riding a single-speed. The beauty of the SS is that it is reliability, extremely low maintenance and a lot more challenging to ride (i.e. more fun...for some). Downside is that you can't shift gears, and it is all uphill from Midvalley to the top of Bukit Bandaraya where we live. I'm not giving up though, and I think I'll go with this option if I can. Check out the Specialized SS Tricross...this bike is hot.

Then there is the issue of cost. I'm a firm believer in not going cheap when buying bikes, but I also don't want to drop a grand on a bike only to get it stolen in the first week! I could order the tricross and have a blast on it, but I would be too worried about it. My commuter bike in Houston was an old Frankenstein bike and I rarely even locked it up...it was nice. I've looked into buying an old Italian frame and converting to a single speed, but I don't feel like cheaping out on this.

So tomorrow I will visit my 5th bike shop in KL.  This one is called the Bike Pro Centre, and their website preaches knowledgeable staff and good customer service.  I'm coming to the end of my search I can feel it, and I'm giddy from thinking about riding again...