questions about buying or building a new bike - The Chainlink2024-03-29T10:52:54Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/questions-about-buying-or-building-a-new-bike?feed=yes&xn_auth=noThat's fantastic. That road b…tag:thechainlink.org,2016-03-11:2211490:Comment:9742572016-03-11T19:38:05.722ZYasmeenhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/YasmeenSchuller
<p>That's fantastic. That road bike will come in handy for nice solo rides. The Edgerunner looks great! Love the new profile picture with your kids. So glad to hear this all worked out for you. Yay bikes! :-)</p>
<p>That's fantastic. That road bike will come in handy for nice solo rides. The Edgerunner looks great! Love the new profile picture with your kids. So glad to hear this all worked out for you. Yay bikes! :-)</p> Yasmeen, I ended up keeping m…tag:thechainlink.org,2016-03-11:2211490:Comment:9742822016-03-11T19:16:40.975ZKellyhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Kelly41
<p>Yasmeen, I ended up keeping my road bike and I got an Edgerunner for commuting. Very happy with the new bike!</p>
<p>Yasmeen, I ended up keeping my road bike and I got an Edgerunner for commuting. Very happy with the new bike!</p> Nothing yet, Yasmeen. I'll le…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-09-02:2211490:Comment:9416612015-09-02T20:00:45.231ZKellyhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Kelly41
<p>Nothing yet, Yasmeen. I'll let you know when I make the jump. Torn over going this route or investing in a longtail, something along the lines of an Edgerunner. I have a 6 month old daughter and soon I can have both kids on the bike. With limited funds, I'm still trying to figure out what's the best way to go! Still leaning towards a touring(ish) bike and a trailer (more versatility). Very interested in the All City Space Horse. Once I feel more committed, I'll probably head over to Johnny…</p>
<p>Nothing yet, Yasmeen. I'll let you know when I make the jump. Torn over going this route or investing in a longtail, something along the lines of an Edgerunner. I have a 6 month old daughter and soon I can have both kids on the bike. With limited funds, I'm still trying to figure out what's the best way to go! Still leaning towards a touring(ish) bike and a trailer (more versatility). Very interested in the All City Space Horse. Once I feel more committed, I'll probably head over to Johnny Sprockets and check a few bikes out.</p> Hi Kelly, Did you figure out…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-09-02:2211490:Comment:9417252015-09-02T13:27:46.823ZYasmeenhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/YasmeenSchuller
<p>Hi Kelly, Did you figure out what you wanted to do? I'd love to hear what you decided. Once you have it built up, please do share a pic. This brought about some great discussion about the choices for long rides, commutes, and pulling a trailer.</p>
<p>Hi Kelly, Did you figure out what you wanted to do? I'd love to hear what you decided. Once you have it built up, please do share a pic. This brought about some great discussion about the choices for long rides, commutes, and pulling a trailer.</p> As a student I got a great de…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-09-02:2211490:Comment:9415902015-09-02T09:36:42.072ZEthan N-Ghttps://thechainlink.org/profile/EthanNewmanGivens
As a student I got a great deal on a Novara Randonee, which is the REI store brand. At the risk of recommending a major chain store, my budget for a touring bike was low. I waited until late in the season and had a coupon.<br />
<br />
It was a really nice, thoughtfully speced bike. I would consider another if I decided I wanted to go back to a touring bike. As others have mentioned, I prefer a more cross like bike. I have since had a Cross Check and Salsa La Cruz that were more my style. If you switch…
As a student I got a great deal on a Novara Randonee, which is the REI store brand. At the risk of recommending a major chain store, my budget for a touring bike was low. I waited until late in the season and had a coupon.<br />
<br />
It was a really nice, thoughtfully speced bike. I would consider another if I decided I wanted to go back to a touring bike. As others have mentioned, I prefer a more cross like bike. I have since had a Cross Check and Salsa La Cruz that were more my style. If you switch from a road bike the transition to something like that might be pretty fluid. All City Space Horse = yes! L…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-08-20:2211490:Comment:9398152015-08-20T18:03:04.419Zmweerdhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/JasonMc
<p><span>All City Space Horse = yes! LHT is too heavy!</span></p>
<p>Surprised someone hasn't (or maybe they did?) mentioned the Soma Double Cross. If I were to build a new bike for commute/light tour/road/sport -> I'd go with the DC -> can fit so many different tires -> the disc version comes in a 66cm -> yum! </p>
<p>Eric at Smart Bike parts is my go-to for ordering anything.</p>
<p><span>Bianchi Volpe is also a great choice - Boulevard Bikes seems to be the Bianchi empire - seen…</span></p>
<p><span>All City Space Horse = yes! LHT is too heavy!</span></p>
<p>Surprised someone hasn't (or maybe they did?) mentioned the Soma Double Cross. If I were to build a new bike for commute/light tour/road/sport -> I'd go with the DC -> can fit so many different tires -> the disc version comes in a 66cm -> yum! </p>
<p>Eric at Smart Bike parts is my go-to for ordering anything.</p>
<p><span>Bianchi Volpe is also a great choice - Boulevard Bikes seems to be the Bianchi empire - seen lots </span>of their builds and they look great.</p> There is bike shop in East Du…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-08-04:2211490:Comment:9354522015-08-04T16:05:10.034ZGreg Berryhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/GregBerry
<p>There is bike shop in East Dundee (I know, its way out there) that handles Surly called Main Street Bikes. They have treated me well when I needed shoes and bar tape, and the staff seems pretty excited to talk about the LHT. You can get there from bike using the Illinois Prairie Path if you have a day to spend out riding!</p>
<p>There is bike shop in East Dundee (I know, its way out there) that handles Surly called Main Street Bikes. They have treated me well when I needed shoes and bar tape, and the staff seems pretty excited to talk about the LHT. You can get there from bike using the Illinois Prairie Path if you have a day to spend out riding!</p> I bought my LHT from REI. It…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-08-04:2211490:Comment:9354912015-08-04T15:11:43.613ZTricolorhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Tricolor
<p>I bought my LHT from REI. It was a year or so old so the price was pretty low. After it was hit I had a new front wheel built by Justin(?) at Johnny Sprockets in Lakeview before they moved. I scavenged everything that wasn't broken and bought a new frame/fork from Amazon which happened to have an insanely low price for another last year model. I also considered the Velo-Orange Campeur (which was out of stock at the time or I probably would have gotten that) and the Soma Saga frames, but the…</p>
<p>I bought my LHT from REI. It was a year or so old so the price was pretty low. After it was hit I had a new front wheel built by Justin(?) at Johnny Sprockets in Lakeview before they moved. I scavenged everything that wasn't broken and bought a new frame/fork from Amazon which happened to have an insanely low price for another last year model. I also considered the Velo-Orange Campeur (which was out of stock at the time or I probably would have gotten that) and the Soma Saga frames, but the LHT frame came along at the right time.</p>
<p></p>
<p>It's good for commuting but not particularly fast with the gears and tires I've chosen unless you really want to push yourself. For loaded multi-day trips it's fantastic. Everything feels and moves slower, but there's a certain inertia that's built up that makes it feel effortless. The ride's also very smooth with the extra weight. <a href="http://i.imgur.com/O2dpwMm.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/O2dpwMm.jpg" class="align-full"/></a></p> Pony Shop in Evanston (close…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-08-04:2211490:Comment:9354452015-08-04T14:07:54.904ZYasmeenhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/YasmeenSchuller
<p>Pony Shop in Evanston (close to the Chicago border) stocks them. Johnny Sprockets may stock some at their Broadway store as well. I'm not sure about the Andersonville location because they are a little smaller. You may want to call ahead.</p>
<p>Pony Shop in Evanston (close to the Chicago border) stocks them. Johnny Sprockets may stock some at their Broadway store as well. I'm not sure about the Andersonville location because they are a little smaller. You may want to call ahead.</p> I'd love to look at one of th…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-08-04:2211490:Comment:9354872015-08-04T13:52:55.541ZKellyhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Kelly41
<p>I'd love to look at one of those, too. Do you know if anyone local sells them so I could test ride?</p>
<p>I'd love to look at one of those, too. Do you know if anyone local sells them so I could test ride?</p>