Love at first sight

Okay, so my trip to Columbus was kind of fun, as much as business trips can be anyway, except for the getting into and out of the city. My experiences reminded me of why, when I fly for personal reasons, I never fly with... Oh, wait. Y'all don't want to read about my business trip do you? You're here for the PUBLIC Bikes C8 review, aren't you?
 

The PUBLIC box is sprinkled with quotes about bikes from the likes of Susan B. Anthony, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, and Bob Weir. I savored every moment of opening the box and Scott hauled the bike out for me.

The PUBLIC assembly team had already installed the seat, rack, and bell for me. All I had to do was slip the handlebar into the head tube and attach the pedals (which are not part of the recalled set) to the crank arms -- pretty simple tasks, truth be told. The included tools meant that I didn't even have to search for anything in our toolbox except for a Phillips head screwdriver. After I'd put the bike together and pulled off all the cardboard packaging, I stepped back and gasped at its elegant beauty. I began champing at the bit to see if it really would be love at first ride.

It was. Sure, the C8 is no speed demon, but it holds its own. The ride quality is fairly smooth and it corners well. The bike is simply fun to ride. And hills? What hills? The 20-hate bridge was no match for this San Francisco-designed cycle, even with a basket and pannier loaded down with groceries.

Speaking of which... who knew that a Po Campo Loop Pannier could comfortably carry a six pack of hard lemonade?

I love how easy it is to step through the frame. The opening is not as spacious as my cruiser's, but I'd put the C8 on par with a Linus Dutchi. The reflective stripe on the cream tires is an inspired safety feature. I'm going to have to get used to such an upright riding position, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice. It was also fun seeing appreciative glances from passers-by and even getting "That's a great looking bike!" from an overtaking roadie.

Now, there are a couple of things I don't love: the grips and the saddle. The triangle grips hurt my palms and the material makes my skin crawl. The saddle is quite plush and feels ~so~ big compared to my other bikes' saddles. I will be trading out both of those items. Right now I'm considering either a Velo Orange or Selle Royal saddle. Grips will follow to match whichever saddle I decide upon since I can wear gloves in the meantime. I'm not in love with the bell, either, but that's a fairly minor swap if I decide that it's too irritating.

Overall, and after only a few miles of riding, I am beyond pleased with the C8 and I do not regret the purchase AT ALL. I'm looking forward to many, many miles ahead. Oh, and figuring out what its name is.

 More impressions on the C8 can be found here, here, here, and oh heck, just use the Public C8 tag. :)

It's here!!

Or there, rather, there since I'm still in Columbus... And, thanks to United Airlines' cancellation of my flight home, I will be too tired after the seven hour drive to play with the new bike until tomorrow at the earliest. But I have the knowledge that I'll get to see my sweet hubby and kitties and new bike sooooooon.

My... precioussss...

And yes, I am geeky enough to have said "yes" when Scott asked if I wanted a picture of the box.

Hi.

Still alive and "enjoying" week-long vendor training in Ohio. The outbound trip was a fairly nightmarish experience, but my sweet (luxury upgrade) rental car & cushy hotel room (oh, and finding a Fashion Bug) have made up for the horror.

In bike news, the C8 shipped on Friday and should arrive Thursday. I've asked Scott not to assemble the bike, or even open the box, so that I can fully savor the "Christmas morning" feeling. Honey Badger don't care and is okay with a six foot long cardboard box hanging out in, presumably, the dining room until I get home.

I've spotted a few cyclists here in the greater Dublin/Hilliard area and some lovely looking trails. According to my local coworkers, there's a fairly nice network of rail trails. Oh, and my boss says it's good that I decided against borrowing his bike since his teenage son wrecked the bike this weekend. Poor kid.

Bang!

Life is good.

I did it. I bought the C8 in powder blue -- with matching rack and bell -- last night. It should be in my hot little hands before the end of the month. Mmmm... loop frame-y goodness. Scott, a.k.a. the Honey Badger in response to my shopping, said nothing except "Did you just buy it?" when he noticed me hyperventilating with excitement.

This morning friends are both congratulating me on the new baby and suggesting an intervention. I don't have a problem; I can quit any time. Ahem.

Finger on the trigger

I am >this< close to clicking the BUY button on Public Bikes C8 page. If I pull the trigger before the 18th, I'll get free shipping. If I do it today or tomorrow, the bike will arrive before we go to Memphis. I wouldn't want our cat sitter to have to lug a six foot long box into the house: that's what Scott is for!

The powder blue appeals to me more than the cream because I love color -- the orange is a bit too colorful -- and the bike I'm absolutely going to keep -- Circe -- is mostly white. Yes, Kate is blue but she's first on the sales chopping block. And yes, she's super fun and adorable beyond compare but she is impractical for my needs and wants. I will most likely sell Lily -- which is white -- but she might also stick around. Scott doesn't think I'll be able to let her go even if she and the C8 fill a similar niche. I mean, it's not like I'm going to take up mountain biking. I'll most likely wind up with broken bones rather than skinned knees! But... well, we'll see what happens with the hybrid.

Mmm... loop frame...

Bikes! Bikes everywhere!

After returning home from my clipless adventure yesterday, I accompanied Scott (via truck) to the Vienna Spokes, Etc location so he could test ride a deeply discounted 2011 Specialized Crux Elite. SpokesPerson Mike set him up on a 54cm frame and Scott took it for a spin.

Later that afternoon and closer to home...

While he was out, I spied a row of Trek cruisers and, out of curiosity, sat on one. Wow, it was comfy. But totally unnecessary. I was still mentally arguing with myself when Scott returned and took out a 56cm frame for a test. Okay, I was going to test the cruiser, too.

Wow. I grinned like the Cheshire cat the entire time I was on that bike. Super comfy, super easy to "drive", and more fun than a barrel of drunken monkeys. My mind was made up by the time I got back to the shop. Happily, Scott's mind was made up as well and we both walked out of the store with new bikes; although, his didn't include a basket and streamers.

How cute is she??

 We had to go out for a ride as soon as got home and I actually did a fairly good job of keeping up with Scott despite my being on a bike with no gears. Heh. I did finally lay off the afterburners and cruised while he took off and stretched his and the Crux's legs. I felt comfortable being helmet-less and enjoyed letting my hair flow in the wind. Everybody, and I mean everybody, smiled and waved at me on my silly little super girly bike. I was grinning ear to ear.

Reality struck when we got back home. We now have five bikes in our house. Holy cow, we've got to get on the ball with the basement remodel so there's some place to store them other than the bike garage dining room.

We'll have to remove the table to make room for the cruiser.

Good thing we don't use the dining room for actual dining purposes all that often.

First ride on the Dolce

Tonight was my first actual ride on the Dolce and I learned many things during the short, six mile jaunt:

• She wants to go fast. I barely had to pedal and she was off and running. I even raced up that blasted hill to the 28 bridge at 12mph. WHAT?? And, when I got home I wasn't a sweaty mess despite riding faster and farther than I do during a commute. Instead, I was merely glistening and my hair was almost completely dry.
• My posture needs a lot of work. That's hardly surprising since, aside from the test rides, my road bike experience was a couple of short rides on my cousin's bike in my early teens. Riding on the horns and in the drop bars put pressure on the webbing between my thumbs and index fingers. Also, I don't need bike shorts for anything less than thirty miles on the Ariel, but I could've used them tonight. The saddle isn't that different from the hybrid's, but my posture put uncomfortable pressure on new and interesting places. Ouch.
• She is light! I already knew this because I've goofed around using the bike for bicep curls. :) There was a bit of a cross wind during my ride and I felt like I might have been blown off the trail if I weren't so heavy.
• She's also kind of squirrelly. Riding one handed was... frightening. I'll get there, and I might even get to hands-free someday, but it's going to take some practice.
• Her name is Circe and we're going to be fast friends. See what I did there?

New bike!

Back in January, I test rode a Specialized Dolce Comp Compact and fell in love. I had decided that my next bike would be of the road variety so I could increase my mileage and participate in metric and actual centuries. When my bonus hit the bank account on Friday, I knew this was the weekend that I would make that bike mine.

Since I was already at the bike shop and learned from the manager that all branches of Spokes give club discounts on bikes and accessories -- Bike Me DC counts as a club, whoo hoo! -- I had Max pull the 54cm Dolce down and prep it for a test ride. Despite the gorgeous weather, the test was a short ride because 1) I'd already ridden the same style of bike and I wanted to make sure this one felt the same and 2) I needed to save my legs for the (uphill) ride back home. I carried the bike back into the store and declared, "SOLD!" I then phoned Scott and asked him to drive over and carry the new bike home. I think everyone was shocked that I wasn't going to ride it home, but I want to get used to the new bike in my own neighborhood rather than the open road and trail. After all, I'm used to a flat handlebar and a fairly upright position. The horns, drop bars, and brake/shifter combo levers are going to take some time to learn.

I still haven't ridden her, mostly due to lack of time. It's looking like the weather will be fairly mild, for February, on Sunday and I will be able to make friends with my new ride and figure out a proper name for her. "Nancy" is still stuck in my head despite not sounding "fast". Mom suggested that spelling the name as "Nanci" sounds racier. I think she's right.

Scary

It's frightening how quickly the strength goes when one hasn't been on the bike in a couple of weeks. This morning's commute (first bikey one in exactly two weeks) was not the worst ride ever, but it certainly wasn't the best. My legs were cranky, my back was cranky, and my tush must've lost its bike callouses. It must be pretty horrible for those folks who put away the bike at the end of fall and don't pull it back out until spring.

In happier news, the bonus and tax refund fairies have graced my bank account and it's time for the Dolce to come to mama. You don't need to be Carnac the Magnificent to see that I'll be hitting my favorite bike shop in the very near future. I want to splurge on a Dutch bike so badly, but I can't blow all my fun money on bikes. Mama also needs a couple of new kitchen appliances and to finish the basement remodel so she has a fridge that doesn't leak and a place that isn't the dining room to store the stable of bikes. The correct ratio of person to bikes is n+infinity, right?

My friend's new bike

On Sunday, my friends Charlene and Bill joined the Hubs and me for the Stop, Swap, & Save expo in Westminster, MD. The bike enthusiasm I've infected most of my friends with finally overcame Charlene and she was determined to find a bike of her own at the swap meet. Almost immediately she spied an adorable blue cruiser with partial chain guard and coaster brakes. After locating the owner, she took it for a test ride and came back with a smile that nearly split her face in half. I couldn't resist the adorableness and took the bike for a spin of my own. Like buttah. Bill's a bike mechanic and after taking it on his own spin, he declared it sound. The bike was half of Charlene's allotted bike budget and she paid the seller without a second thought.

Careful... you'll cultivate bike face.

After riding the bike to the truck for storage (hey! I finally got to ride a bike in the snow!), we headed back inside to find her some safety gear. First up was the helmet.

We found a woman selling Bern helmets for $25. Dude! I shoved Charlene toward the stall and waited while she tried on several different styles. Unfortunately, none of them fit comfortably and we walked away dejectedly. I was tempted to snag another Bern for myself, but I already had three (now four... that'll be another post) helmets for my own noggin. As we hunted for more helmets, Charlene talked about all the stickers and whatnot she was going to add to her bike.

See, I would have gone all girly with a bike like that: wicker basket, tinkly little bell, streamers maybe, and a floral helmet to coordinate. That's not Charlene's speed. She's going to bad-ass up her bike with stickers and an oogah horn. These are the blinky lights she snapped up:

These are ~so~ Charlene.

If I remember correctly, the white blinky is a white skull and the red blinky is a black skull. Pretty adorable, right? But because I'm such a tight wad, I couldn't possibly put something like that on my bike. Charlene, on the other hand, squealed and snapped them right up. She also found a helmet that I would have never in a million years picked out:

She's got a thing for skulls, you see...

She was almost as happy about that helmet as she was about the bike. My inner Martha Stewart was crying but but but, it doesn't go with the bike! Except, you know, it isn't my bike to accessorize. This is HER bike and it doesn't matter one flip what I think about the accessories she likes. I have to (and do) admire her individuality and her knowing exactly what she wants. I fret about making my bike look "right" and "presentable" which is silly because there's no standard out there for what a bike should look like. She's going to look awesome on her bad-ass bike, she's going to love making it hers, and even more importantly, she's going to love riding it.

Kudos to you, Charlene! I can't wait to go riding with you this spring and seeing all the looks of admiration other cyclists throw your way.

Another bike bike bike bike

I decided at midnight-thirty that I would bike to work. And so I scurried about getting everything, including my work laptop but minus my lunch bag, packed in my trunk bag and panniers before hitting the proverbial hay.

Rose was pretty light when I bought her, but I've attached the trunk rack and bag plus, pump, bottle cage, tools, and lights. The weight adds up, and then it increases by a LOT when I add the laptop. However, she was still lighter than a fully-loaded C.C., and I sailed up and down the hills to work.

It was such a glorious morning with the exact right mix of sun, breeze, and humidity, and the trail use reflected the beautiful weather. There were more commuters going in the same direction as me, plus snotty racer types who usually aren't out until later in the day. Lots of walkers and joggers used the bridle path which was nice because that meant I didn't have to dodge pedestrians.

I'm excited to see how Rose handles the long uphill climb of Rte 28 on tonight's return trip. I already know she can handle my neighborhood's hills with ease.

In Scott bike news, he broke down and bought a Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc yesterday. He's been agonizing over the options he wanted versus the price he was comfortable paying. The main point of contention was being able to lock the springs on the front fork which was available on the Sport version only. I didn't understand why locking the front fork was such a big deal as my most recent bikes have had springy front forks. Scott took a ride on Rose and realized that all of his bikes have been rigid and he did. not. like. the springiness. He felt like he was going to topple forward the whole time he rode. That, and a conversation with two bike nuts at work who assured him he was getting a primo deal with the Sport Disc, convinced him of which bike he needed. He brought his as-yet-unnamed bike home and took it on an extended tour of the neighborhood last night. His grin could have split his face when he finally came back home. Yeah, he bought the right bike.

Bike bike bike bike!

Meet Rose. She's my Specialized Ariel which I purchased at the Ashburn Spokes, Etc. I'd taken a test ride on a medium in June and decided to try out the large on Sunday. The large size bike didn't ride just as well; it rode better. I could extend my legs and generate a lot of power. I decided to plunk down a wad of cash on her, a kickstand, and a spare tube. Scott and I spent the afternoon attaching the rear rack, bell, bottle cage, pump (all me) and front basket (Scott). When we got her all tricked out, I talked Scott into riding up to the grocery store with me for a much needed replenishment of the fridge and a test ride. OMG. Rose is the day to my Schwinn's night. I cruised up hills without a second thought or much effort, which is good since I still have a cough. The trip back home was even more surprising. I struggle up Greenthorn and am usually panting by Sherwood. On Rose, I not only biked easily up the hill, I gained speed riding uphill. I cannot wait to ride her to work (see: cough).

Scott's so envious and is plotting his own bike upgrade. He complained, good-naturedly, about my kicking his @ss the whole trip. Heehee!

I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike.

A month ago Bossman gave me an Ovation Award which I turned into $300 worth of Target gift cards. I've been hemming and hawing over how to use those cards -- a self-cleaning catbox, a small HDTV plus DVD/VCR for the craft room, yet another iPod -- for a couple of weeks, and this morning inspiration finally struck. I was complaining to Scott about how out of shape and unhappy I am and he told me about how he'd been "playing" at the gym, rather than slogging along on machine after machine. I flashed back to something a friend posted a while ago about framing exercise as "play". And so, I used that $300 for a new bicycle.

It's a multi-speed, sea green Schwinn I've named C.C. Because the afternoon was so gorgeous, I told Scott I was go bike riding when we got home from running errands. He pulled his bike out of the basement, cleaned it up and rode with me. Now, I'm terribly out of shape and haven't been on a real bike in over ten years. The going on the W&OD trail was slow (and pretty tedious for Scott) and I begged for a rest break at the Church Road overpass, which is also where we turned around. So, I guess we got about a mile and a half for our first ride together.

We're going to take the bikes back out again this week so they're hanging out in the kitchen. Scott tells me this now makes us poster children for REI.