Jay and I are looking at road bikes. The skinny-wheeled, self-propelled kind.

Visited all three of our local bike shops today. Interesting how each of them have their own personalities….

I thought the one I test-drove was just *amazing* and probably would have bought it on the spot if dividends came in spiring.

Jay says I could have ridden anything in that shop and it’d feel better than what I have.

Really, I just went with Jay at first in a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses sort of way. I don’t dislike my bike as much as Jay does– I’ve just only ridden it 5 times in the last two years.

Interesting to me, that shop had the least-expensive bikes, but the least-expensive was still nice quality.

At the next shop the sales guy assured us that nothing came cheaper than $100 over what we’d already seen, and was nearly junk at that price.

I refrained from asking if he ever checked out the competition.

The second two places suggested hybrid bikes as being more suitable for Fairbanks, but those are 50-70% more expensive too, and don’t have the rams-horn handlebars we both wanted.

I’m ready to go with the first bikes at the first store.

I rode something from the mid-range rather than bottom (as Jay did) because that was what they had built-up that would fit me.

If I decided I was serious (something Jay’s not yet sure about) I’d need to call the shop back and have them build up something in my size, so I could see if what I’d be buying was as good as I expected.