Five signs that it’s time to upgrade to a better bike
by Steve ~ March 14th, 2008. Filed under: Department Store Bikes.
So, you’ve been riding your department store bike for awhile and the miles are adding up. You’re actually starting to enjoy riding it, or at least that’s what you tell yourself. In your darker moments, however, you wonder if you’re experiencing a velo version of the Stockholm Syndrome. At night, in the quiet hours before dawn, you may wake with a start, the question hanging on your lips, “Would I be happier on a better bike?”
How to answer that question. There’s is no right answer. In fact, I’m tempted to give you a bit of Matrix zen: “There is no bike.” Be that as it may, you do need a little guidance, so here are 5 signs that could plausibly be interpreted as being an indication that it’s time to upgrade to a better bike, a bike from a Local Bike Shop.
1) You’re starting to think it might be reasonable to purchase a second Department Store Bike, in your model, to use for parts. Even more telling, you don’t actually plan to ride the newer bike, just cannibalize it.
2) You’ve taken your department store tank past mere commuting, and are moving toward century rides. Yes, century rides. You’re wondering what it would be like on a bike that weighed less than 40 lbs. When you hear that some reasonably priced LBS bikes weigh less than 30 lbs, you get tears in your eyes.
3) You’ve felt your heart racing as you ride along, hearing a car come up behind you, only to realize the noise is your rear derailleur and chain. When it happens the next day, you can’t stop yourself from speeding up to get away from it.
4) There’s a nice girl/guy you see on the way to work who has smiled a couple of times, and even slowed as if to stop and chat with you, but you’ve bolted past, afraid that if you stop, even the removal of your bike’s decals won’t stop her/him from guessing where you bought it.
5) You’ve started telling people that you only ride your department store bike to protect your “good bike” from the wear and tear of commuting. Unfortunately, you don’t actually own a good bike. Worse, as you step onto the porch one day you’re horrified to see that your good bike is missing, and almost call the police…
I hate this kind of article, because none of the “signs” are actually serious, but in this case they’re all based on a core of truth. That truth being, “you know it’s time to upgrade to a better bike when you start wondering what it would be like to ride a better bike.” Simple as that.
Related posts:
Sheldon Brown on department store bikes
