tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945015.post-24185764347013629292008-08-28T08:39:00.004-06:002008-08-28T08:59:33.088-06:00On an entirely non-church note (but still spiritual, since the mind, body, and spirit are linked!) I've been cycling to the church for the last few weeks, and I've been really enjoying myself. I've developed a more roundabout route in order to:<br />a) get more exercise (lots more hills this way)<br />b) avoid traffic (almost entirely bike paths)<br />c) take longer to get to work :)<br /><br />I'm really loving this stuff, but i am having a bit of a problem. As my wife knows, I'm a bit of a gadget hound, but I'm trying to simplify my life, not worry about acquiring. However, my bike. My bike is a 16 inch (i think) Fila (yes you read that right) Telluride. It's black, white, and fluorescent green. It is those colours because those colours were popular when I bought the bike, in 1993. It's starting to rust. I can't put the seat post higher without pulling it right out of the bike and my legs still aren't extended when i pedal, the seat cover is currently ripped in three places, the hand grips have holes in them, the brakes squeal, and when i pull them as hard as i can, i stop in an impressive 4-10 seconds! Now I'm not one to complain (right) but I'm thinking it may be time for something...new. The problem, of course, is that I want something quality, that will last, that will keep me going, that I won't get sick of in a week because I grabbed the first bike i could find on the rack. I've done some homework, and come up with this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6ekrGPCWotI/SLa8unNV-VI/AAAAAAAAANg/LaZZH2HW59A/s1600-h/2K9_DEW-FS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6ekrGPCWotI/SLa8unNV-VI/AAAAAAAAANg/LaZZH2HW59A/s320/2K9_DEW-FS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239582725477103954" /></a><br />Pretty, isn't it? That's a Kona Dew FS. It's a commuter bike (upright position, front suspension, seat post suspension, deore components, hydraulic discs, 700c tires) and it's a beauty. I got my confirmation when I did my research, then went into the bike store and played dumb. I told them what my bike would be used for, and they pulled this exact bike off the shelf. pretty sweet, eh? The problem is that these bikes are not in the "Less-than-expensive" category. 799.00 MSRP. So i guess some saving is in order!<br /><br />Well, that's it for today. just a wish list. pray you're all well.<br />mikethegreatswalmihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735305989673017614noreply@blogger.com2