I’m buying a bike.

Which is not a big deal in the scheme of things for most people, but for me is a Big Decision. For the past 30 years I’d primarily been a bike commuter, but last December 28 I was the victim of vehicular assault that left my 1988 Davidson Impulse ruined.  For the first few months I made do with my Gary Fisher mountain bike, but it’s just too heavy for my 9 mile commute and lately I’ve just been Metroing in and out of town. Finally, thanks to DC’s pathetic criminal justice system, no compensation is going to be forthcoming, so I have to make do with a bike purchase in the $1000 range.

My Impulse was Fun To Ride.  Light, responsive, sprightly. The steel absorbed some road shock, and the whole kit weighed in at ~20.5 lbs. But it wasn’t really meant for commuting; better brakes and some room for fenders and winter tires would have been a good thing. So I’m looking at cyclocross bikes for my day-to-day use.

Which brings me to my short list for a bike, based on what’s up for sale at my local bike shops and Craigslist.

• 2011 Masi Speciale CX, ~$1200 new
• 2010 Redline Conquest, $999 new (clearance)
• 2010 Jami Bossa Nova, ~1050 new (clearance)
• 2010 Specialized Tricross Sport, ~1000 Craigslist
• 2006 Kona Jake, $600 Craigslist
• 2010 Motobecane Fantom, $500 Craiglist

Some impressions:

Redline Conquest: This was fun to ride but the combination of aluminum frame and aluminum forks felt jittery. The owner at LBS was a bit surly when I asked about warranties and the 2010 recall of some Redline forks.  He went on about how B-grade bike manufacturer’s have poor customer support, and the warranty issues one can have with dissembling a bike to send a cracked frame in, only to have the company say “Not our problem” and sending it back. But I’ve not seen any chatter on biking forums about Redline offering poor support. I do like the steeper 73 degree head tube angle, the 105 rear/Tiagra front derailleurs, the 2-ring crankset, and lightweight. I don’t like the jittery feel (upgrade to carbon front-fork?), or 20-hole wheels (flimsy?). I’d also a purchase time swap in a smaller inner chainring to bring the gearing down a bit.

Masi Speciale CX: Not as fun on a first ride as the Conquest.  Lighter tires would help there, but it does have a slacker head tube (72 degrees), so it’s not going to feel as responsive.  At 24.5 lbs, it’s pretty light for steel, but still over 3 lbs heavier than my Impulse (RIP) or the Conquest. I like the idea that steel will last and last, and that it absorbs some of the road.

Jamis Bossa Nova: I haven’t ridden this yet, but it’s been well-reviewed. The steel frame/carbon fork and 72 degree head tube seem like a good combo.  But I don’t need the weight of a triple chainring, or the drag of the 48mm rake (as opposed to the 45mm rake on the Masi and Redline). The Jamis site says it weighs in at 28.5 lbs, but if that includes the pedals, fenders and disc brakes, then maybe the core isn’t really that heavy.

Kona Jake: Came through CL. Very slack geometry. Comes kitted with fenders, rack.  But not sexy.  Would only get to save $$ and resale a few months down the road when I want to buy my long-term bike.

Specialized Tricross Sport: CL. Owner bought for $1500, thinks he can sell for $1200.  I wouldn’t buy for anything over $1000. Supposedly weighs in at 25lbs, which seems heavy for aluminum frame/carbon fork.  Other dislikes: triple chainring, 47mm rake, 72deg head tube.

Motobecane Fantom CX: CL.  Owner wants $500 for what he claims is a $1600 bike.  Sells new on BikeDirect for 565. I don’t know whats up with these bikes; gives me a bad feel.

Bianchi Axis/Volpe: New and/or CL. These seem heavy and more geared to slogging about.

Conclusion:

Even before I read Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Blink’ I’d come to the realization that my gut feelings were something worth attending to.  I’m not a bike gearhead.  I like to buy a bike and ride it hard. What it comes down to is that I’m lusting for the Redline. I think I just need to ride the Bossa Nova to make sure I’ve done due diligence, then go for the Redline. Once I get in the carbon forks I should be set for a few years.

Update:

Didn’t get the Redline (yet).  Went to try the Bossa Nova and ended up on a Kona Honky Inc. instead.  Kona saw that a lot of hard-core commuters were trending to cyclocross bikes, so designed a steel frame job that’s still light (23lbs) but has disc brakes, 105 components and mounts for racks and fenders.  I’m now leaning that way, but the price is steeper than I anticipated.  More to come…

 

Conclusion:

Bought the 2010 Kona Honky Inc, discounted as clearance from Evans in the U.K.  Despite the shipping I still saved hundreds over waiting for the 2011 model to come into a local bike shop.  I LOOOVE IT!  I love it.  I l.o.v.e it.  Only issue is that UK bikes are built with the right brake handle operating the front brake, which is non-standard in the USA.  I’ll probably switch that and re-wrap the handle bars.

Anyhow, the bike is light for a commuter, about 23 lbs, and the steel frame absorbs road shock much better than aluminum.  I can fit it with racks and fenders when I choose to do so.  Out-of-the box, it’s fast and responsive, but easy to ride on the 10mi commute to work. It’s so fun to ride that I keep getting to work exhausted ’cause I want to push myself to ride fast it’s so damn fun.

Happy.