Upheaval

I've been doing some major restructuring lately that I haven't been sure how to discuss. I finally bought a new roadbike and have been enjoying it very much. However I do not want to write about it yet. It has made me uneasy to realise that when I buy a bike it is seen by some as a strong endorsement of the brand. As I start to take my role as reviewer more seriously, I struggle with how to avoid or at least mitigate this. There are many great bicycles out there, and the ones I buy for myself are not necessarily "better." I've toyed with the idea of not naming the manufacturers of my personal bikes from this point forward, but that would introduce logistic difficulties that would border on absurdity. So I won't go that route. But I do think it's unfair to feature my brand new roadbike here while still in the grips of new bike bliss. I will wait to write about it until I am able to do so dispassionately.

Another big change, is that we now own a couple of folding bikes, which we've been riding for transportation almost exclusively. It is impossible to hide the brand, because of its very recognisable silhouette, and you will be seeing more and more pictures of them soon. The folding bikes were the Co-Habitant's idea and have been for years. And while I was not entirely on board at first, since owning mine I've changed my mind. The bike works for me, and I am especially excited to be taking it along on an upcoming trip.

In parallel to these purchases, I've been selling off most of my other bicycles. Aside from the financial necessity of selling bikes when new ones are acquired, it is clear that increasingly I am focused on long-term reviews of loaner bikes and on design projects (I've got two going on behind the scenes at the moment). There seem to be always bikes in my tiny apartment that do not belong to me, and so it makes sense to get my personal bicycles down to a minimum.

As someone who is both the author of a moderately known bicycle blog and a real-life person, I feel the need to be transparent about these sorts of things, but I also want to retain some privacy, which I hope is understandable. It's a very personal thing, to buy or sell a bicycle. I am looking forward to writing about new projects soon, and to posting lots of detailed reviews this summer.

Comments

  1. It's too bad your Hillborne is one size too big; I would take it off your hands if it were my size.

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    1. I have a post regarding my near-identical hillborne in 48cm in the trading post.

      I also have a loaner Brompton parked in my living room right now... I'm still a bit unsure whether it's my thing, but am interested to see ow you get on with yours. V, I understand Your feelings about having bike buying/selling decisions scrutinized- for me it's enough just having my family wonder what on earth I'm doing.

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  2. Nice bvernomsepton!

    You bike minimalism is impressive

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  3. You have had more bicycles in three years than I have had in forty years. I really don't expect to buy another bike, as I am 63 years old. I have two frames that I have been riding for thirty years. (Neither has any original parts.) They went a lot better when they were ridden by a thirty year old, 160 pound rider than they do now, but they are still fun to ride.

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    1. Hey, some of the strongest local riders are over 60!

      I am very lucky to have this blog, which (I hope is self-evident, but maybe not!) is the reason I buy and sell so many bikes. I do plan to continue buying and selling nice bicycles, because sometimes that is the only way to gain a thorough understanding of different types of bicycles and different cycling styles.

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  4. Sooo, you bought a Brompton and a Seven eh? Cool beans!

    *idle speculation*

    :)

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  5. Is that an enve fork peaking out behind the strategically place chair?

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  6. I was kind of wondering earlier if the Smoothie was in fact your new road bike. Do you get to buy the demo model at a decent price if you like it? And what happens with the Moser?

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    1. The Smoothie is on loan from the manufacturer for review. Not sure yet what will happen to it afterward; waiting to hear from them about it.

      The Moser is either getting passed on to a local woman, or the frame is getting retired. Not clear yet.

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  7. Definitely looks like there's a Brompton M6 hiding behind the flight case with dynamo hub,IQ Cyo front light and a Brooks saddle?

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    1. I can honestly say that there are no Brooks saddles in that picture!

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  8. Recognized the Brompton suitcase before I even saw the Brompton handlebars! I've got one, too, as well as a Bike Friday tikit. The tikit doesn't look as elegant and contained in the folded package but love the way it rides. Try one out if you can!

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    1. I agree Zoe--I rode both, and found the ride of the tikit more to my liking, but can't really disagree with those who say it looks like a "frankenbike". It doesn't fold up so neatly or compactly as the Brommie, but it does fold *fast*, and small enough for a multi-modal commute on DC's metro trains.

      Sharon

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  9. Oh wow. Are you selling the Mercian? I am local. The 54cm top tube would be perfect for me.

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    1. No no, that one is staying.

      Sorry, I did not mean to turn this into a bike bazaar! I am selling the bikes off line and do not want to make a public show of it. If you have a question about which bikes I am selling, please drop me a line.

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  10. Hmmmm, and that's why I thought it was an M6??? In fact I thought it was my M6 until I just checked and found it parked safely behind the sofa;)

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  11. sounds good, and frank, in that spirit - I've had a Brompton for 6 years, and it's always been ambivalent, it gets used often for its enormous practicality, but it doesn't have the je ne sais quoi of an old Raleigh, will be great to see how you experience it longer term

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  12. This post is, as we used to say, too clever by half. Perhaps if you wanted some privacy regarding your purchase of Bromptons and Seven, you might not have written about it and included a picture?

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    1. Obviously, you are right. That is not what I meant about privacy. If I wanted complete privacy I would not write this blog at all. But I do my best to keep a balance I am comfortable with. I've had the bikes for a little bit without mentioning them, and it felt odd to do that. So I wanted to acknowledge these changes I am making, while also explaining that I do not want to write about it in detail quite yet. Not everything is about cleverness. I do my best.

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    2. This is difficult - I read the previous entry about blogs and exhibitionism and thought about the way I struggle to balance sharing experiences - becoming a wee bit narcissistic (as we all do)and trying to consider others and also do it as part of living and sharing life in my reality. I don't think there is an easy answer or solution, but I do appreciate your honesty. And, strangely, after pimping out an old raleigh rsw with belleville bars and a brooks, i feel it's OK to, let's say, be somewhat exhibitionist, or free, or sharing or narcissistic, or whichever hue the experience is painted in.

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    3. The problem with "narcissism" is that the term gets very confused in pop cultural use. Introspection, self-awareness and self-study (and I would place both diaries and self-portraits in that category) are not narcissism in the contemporary sense of the word. Narcissism is a pathological pattern of behaviour whereby a person values their own needs and interests above those of others' to such an extent as to be callous, manipulative and possibly dangerous. A person who is narcissistic is not necessarily self-aware (in fact it is often the opposite), and vise versa.

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    4. yes, but as a blogger, I'm aware of the way it differs from introspection and self study, or even self portraits, in the sense that the act of doing the latter is a personal rather than interpersonal experience. sharing experiences with others tend to feel a bit fraught to me, a balancing act of considering others and myself, but maybe that's just me!

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  13. "But I do think it's unfair to feature my brand new roadbike here while still in the grips of new bike bliss. I will wait to write about it until I am able to do so dispassionately."

    This is ridiculous - it is perfectly fair to rave over your own bike from a purely subjective point of view. You've done it in the past, have gone through a lot of the learning curve, ridden a lot of bikes and have pulled the trigger on another one. It's just part of the story. To write about a your own bike dispassionately as the first review is muting your own feelings for it.

    I don't think the world is going to beat a path to Seven from your tacit endorsement of them anyway. They're a known, excellent mfg.

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    1. I did it in the past with a degree of naiveté that I no longer have. Whether that's good or bad is a separate question, but I don't think I can ever write about a bike I own in the same way I did about, say, the Sam Hillborne initially. Also, oddly I do not have much to say about my new bike, nor do I have many pictures of it. That in itself shows a different relationship to it than to previous bikes. It just don't feel like writing about it at this stage to be honest, though I am sure I will in due course.

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  14. For me having ridden a million bikes, getting one that I thought was dialed in fit to the mm to the way I ride, in the material and with the components I prefer, with the right tubing selection means I get a jolt every time I get on it, like "this is so perfect". That feeling never goes away, after 6-7 years.

    If you don't feel like writing about it that puts the nail in the subject, but I honestly don't know how you can not be passionate about a new bike that is so good.

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    1. I am passionate about the bike, and I guess it's this passion that I want to keep private this time around. Passion colours how a bike is presented in a way that readers might misattribute. And as this blog grows I find that to be a problem. I think more than anything the trajectory of my Riv ownership and the effect the different stages of my writing about it had on readers made me rethink things. I obviously have poor control over the tone of my writing. When I wrote the Seven review last summer, I was unable to separate the enthusiasm of having discovered the joys of roadcycling from my impressions of the bike itself. And despite all the disclaimers I made about that, people did misread it. Anyway, the point is that I feel more cautious now and I can't undo that. Hopefully it will make my eventual review of the bike more meaningful, even if less exciting. I guess we'll see.

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    2. I saw people align their feelings toward Riv with those posts and remember there wasn't a clear delineation between how you felt about the bike vs. roadcycling (tm).

      Like I said, your feelings on the subject have changed and it's ok to have a variable tone. A post that starts with: "Pay attention people. This is a love story" if people misconstrue that as "knowledge" that's their problem. There's time for facts later, which will be misconstrued anyway.

      Personally, I find passionate, learned viewpoints the best of the ilk and wish more people would write in such a manner because it isn't facts that people are going to remember down the road, it's the passion.

      Aight, that's my rant of the day.

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    3. I must say the passion you're able to convey through your writings is what draws me here.

      Your efforts as a reviewer of bicycles are important and factually very valuable, but it's your unique perspective, subjective inputs, and narrative abilities that keep me reading your posts.

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    4. I also deeply appreciate the love affair that you have with all your bikes, and your willingness to share! It's fun reading, and I am such a bike nerd/enthusiast that I am right there with you the whole time. Just my two cents...

      I also really enjoy the cast of characters who lurk the comments, hi Jim! <3

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    5. V, Go Ask Alice for sage advice.

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    6. Sage! My favourite colour.

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  15. Regardless of the brand you settled on (and evolved to), you have made the journey of discovery that is a key part of involvement in a passionate pursuit. I have done so with cycling, and to an order of magnitude greater with guitars.

    What happens is that you simultaneously become profoundly more capable of discussing your equipment, and far less interested in doing so. It is because when you find gear that fits you just so - after exploring many options that did not - your energy can finally be put full-force into the pursuit itself, rather than into selecting the implements that enable it. And along the way, you have encountered and resolved many questions for yourself. You speak about it to teach and share with others, but to some extent your own journey - while perhaps not at its end - has at least reached a waypoint.

    Congratulations.

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    1. Just do what I do - give your bikes names.

      Like Gary (my road bike), Betty (my TT bike), etc.. Don't mention the brand.

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  16. I have only been reading this blog for 2 months or so, but i have read a great deal of it. Seams to me like your in the middle of a great upheaval in your cycling philosophy, becoming more sporty. You have said, brilliantly, that just because you run (sporty) doesn't mean you can't walk (transporty). But at the same time, you have a finite amount of riding time and energy, so every hour of sporty means less casual riding.

    I'm not trying to insult, I'm just saying that who you are as a cyclist may have changed quicker than your perception of who you are as a cyclist. Did you ever think 4 years ago you would be doing post on clip-less peddles? Not a bad thing; 4 years ago I ate different food, believed different things, and had different hobbies. The difference is you have committed your passion from 4 years ago to the digital word. Granted, I don't really know you so I may be wrong. I look forward to watching your transition.

    I do, however, think your should embrace your influence on people's bike decisions. After all, your blog is reputable and popular because it's good, not by chance.

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    1. "Did you ever think 4 years ago you would be doing post on clip-less peddles?

      Nope. But you know what? I equally did not think that I would be riding for transportation. In the road! That seemed no less insane 4 years ago. Things change, we expand our horizons. Isn't it great?

      I do not ride less for transportation now than I used to. I also do not substitute any of my upright bike transportational riding with a roadbike. Instead, I have added road cycling to the transpirational cycling. I ride a LOT more now than I did during the first 2 years of this blog.

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  17. What you describe makes perfect sense for where you are at right now. I am pretty sure I know what your new bikes are, and if I'm right then you already posted reviews of them anyway. It's not like you are depriving the poor manufacturers of exposure. They are your bikes and you are not obligated to write about them here immediately, or ever.

    So, are there any unfilled spaces in your stable once the dust settles? That is the one thing I am curious about. Still waiting for you to get that mountain bike!

    Long time reader,
    Martin

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    1. Once the dust settles (nice way of putting it, that is how it feels exactly), I will have a fast roadbike, a fixed gear roadbike, a folding bike, and a vintage loop frame as my regular use bikes. I will be missing a wide tire road-to-trail bike, so I am working on that. No mountain bikes though, sorry!

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  18. I hate it that you say you've lost your naivete'.
    You should close this blog, start a new one as the rider of a heavy British loop frame, and never ever look at another bike. Then write about the world as you see it. That is enough.

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    1. Dave I hope you are joking, because I like your guitar blog. But it sounds like you'd like her to write about the world as you see it, or as you'd like her to see it.

      To be honest with you V, the only problem I see with your blog is the increasingly male audience. Men love to view female bloggers as puppets of their projected desires and they complain when the illusion is ruined. I see it again and again. Beware.

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    2. Waitaminute who're you calling "increasingly"?!

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    3. Yikes : )

      Dave - I never wanted to, and still don't want to, write a blog about how I see the world. I like writing about bicycles, reviewing bicycles, designing bicycles. My style of doing this might change over the years and I do not view it as a bad thing. Either way, this started as a review blog and that was always meant to be its main focus.

      Monica - I do know what you mean and there are certainly men who do this. But generally speaking, I like men and have no intention of discouraging them from posting here. I will be criticised by someone no matter what, so I try not to worry about it too much.

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    4. "Men love to view female bloggers as puppets of their projected desires and they complain when the illusion is ruined."

      Breeder solipsism.

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    5. Monica, my comment was tongue in cheek, sort of. "My projected desire"? it is the opposite! I want to read Velouria's posts knowing she doesn't care a wit the reader may misconstrue her choice of bike, just what SHE thinks.
      And Velouria, you DO write about how you see the world: of bikes. And clothes, but I click away when you do clothes reviews.

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    6. Personally I like to read blogs that are not full of testosterone or give the impression of being elitist. This is a refreshing change from many and it encompasses & welcomes all cyclists of whatever ability. Although I'm a man and have been riding for half a century I still have a lot to learn & I enjoy this style of blog just the way it is.....thank you Velouria

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    7. "To be honest with you V, the only problem I see with your blog is the increasingly male audience. Men love to view female bloggers as puppets of their projected desires and they complain when the illusion is ruined. I see it again and again. Beware."

      The cat writes the blog. V just edits it. She's in no danger of messing up anyone's expectations.

      Peppy, on the other hand, is going to disappoint *so many** readers when she takes up roller-derby.
      The unintentional irony of the sisterhood giving her concern-troll advice about gender roles will make her fur stand up on end.

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  19. Hey V.,

    I bought folding bike as well in January:) A well-known brand with the same case as you . . . in fact, it's in DC with me right now as we speak (I did 20 miles on it yesterday!). . .. (I'm from LA area).....

    And, I sold my Cannondale road bike, and want to buy a mixte/road bike type . . . . very cool about the road and folding bikes -I love my folder. I want to buy a custom bike, I think and am stopping by Rivendell and Sweatpea both before the end of May. . .

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  20. When I purchase a bike, it's after looking at all the substantive reviews I can find that reflect thoughtful considerations or details of fit, build and performance, etc. The enthusiasms and biases of different reviewers make those reviews interesting and worthwhile. I think your writeup of the Seven last summer clearly reflected your blossoming delight in road biking as separate from the enthusiasm for the make of road bike and your readers could separate the two. Good soul that you are, you should not feel responsible for over-influencing your readers' purchasing decisions. They are big boys and girls. Your reviews often open doors to equipment and bicycles that may be unknown to readers who live in far parts of the country. Hopefully, in time, you will feel more relaxed about this and able to comfortably protect your passion for your personal bikes while still sharing your thoughtful insights. The passion you have for your bikes is beautiful and yours alone and we as readers do want you to cherish it as a wonderful expression of who you are. Our enthusiasm for your writing should never intrude. Jim Duncan

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  21. From my (typically lurking) perspective, I'd like to offer that I enjoy your blog, and find it immeasurably helpful, just as it is. I appreciate and trust the honesty in your product reviews, not because you endorse particular products, but because your experience has taught me how to look critically at a bicycle.

    My husband and I recently moved from New York city to Portland, Maine as part of a series of lifestyle and priority shifts. I naively bought a folding cruiser bicycle while still living in NYC, but the hills in Portland have leveled me. I'm sure you've heard variations on thus theme before. Point being, I discovered your blog and have used it as both a critical guide and a resource: from here I found bike forums, Velo Orange, Portland Velocipede, what to look for kn a transport bike, and myriad other helpful bits along the way. I've also found the inclination, and later courage, to try buying a vintage frame and building it up with components of my choice. Last year, I had no idea this was even a possibility. The combined facts that I've got a box of bike parts and a poor disassembled beastie in my living room in a pathetic state if half-finished surgery, that I've heretofore co!nsidered myself mechanically retarded, and that the odds are good that I'm going to be able to RIDE (eep!) this beautiful bicycle that I've assembled MYSELF (squee!!)...... have me giddy.

    I've found a beautiful frame from a good brand that you've never reviewed, nor really mentioned. Your blog hugely affected the purchase and assembly process, however, in that you taught me how to look for a frame. So from my perspective, by all means buy, sell, trade, review or relegate to privacy what you like. Your blog is helpful to me, and I'll happily take, with thanks, whatever new bits you feel you'd like to offer.

    I foubd

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    1. Thanks for sharing this.

      But okay... what's the frame? : )

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    2. Sorry, just saw this. I hope now that I haven't unduly raised expectations. :) The frame is a 1981 Puch Pathfinder mixte - not a high-end frame, but far be it for me to judge one's potential by one's origins. The poor thing looks like it's done a lot of nothing for most of its life - the frame is pristine, and the tires, which I'm pretty sure are original, have the original little side rubber bits intact. Its ride has the strangest quality - it's almost like it swoops up hills, if that makes any sense. It's the color of black cherries. It feels delicate but strong, and unapologetically feminine, and I love it. I'm putting it back together as a fixed-gear, mostly because, for reasons that can't stand up to a wisp of scrutiny, changing gears annoys me.

      On a side note, if you ever feel inclined to delve further into fixed-gear conversions on the blog, I'm all ears. The Marianne conversion story gave me a starting point. I read Sheldon Brown's articles on the subject and my head exploded.

      Again, thanks. Wish me luck. My husband, who's normally the mechanical half, thinks I've completely lost my mind.

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  22. Congrats on buying the folding bikes! Regardless of brand, they open up a whole new world of combining bicycling and other forms of transportation.

    One of my favorite memories with a folding bike is from when I was on the way to a restaurant with friends. There were five of us in a car, stuck in gridlock.

    It was getting later and we were nearly in danger of loosing our reservations.

    I hopped out of the car, pulled by bike from the trunk, and zipped passed the grid lock. I secure our table and 20 minutes later everyone else showed up with the car.

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  23. This is exciting as it lets us readers read about even more bikes, and your ideas are so good, it is great to know there will be even more of them. I used your ideas to makeover my old Speedwell bike and am glad I did.

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  24. Glad to hear you love your new bicycles! Your blogging is guilty of making me buy a pair of trendy shorts and soon of buying a saddlebag too. Oh and some new handlebars and brake cables. It's all your fault, you should be ashamed!!!!!

    love the blog. Erik

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  25. I'm interested in what you think of the Brompton's ride after you've had it for a while. I've considered one myself, but am a little leery after reading Vik Banerjee's take on them vs. his Bike Friday Tikit. I have both a Tikit and a New World Tourist (also Bike Friday), and they're great bikes, but not so easy to take on a train or pack up and toss in luggage at the last minute. Last week I took the New World Tourist from Paris to Derby (in England), via two trains, then cycled 30 miles to a conference. It was a blast, but quick folding the NWT to get it to fit in the luggage area of one train, then shlepping the panniers and bar bag on board, was awkward, not to mention bringing the bike into my small London hotel room afterwards. I'm wondering whether a slightly less comfortable ride would be worth the Brompton's greater ease of transport when folded.

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  26. Brian, the most I've done on my Brompton is 100 km in a day. It's a perfectly comfortable bike to ride. The suspension is available in firm or soft and you can customise it further by putting a hose clamp/jubilee clip on it, and tighten to taste.

    The steering might seem twitchy at first but you soon appreciate it as zippy.

    The handlebar is not very adjustable but there are three different models and two heights so there should be one that fits you.

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  27. I don't think there is any reason to feel bad about endorsing stuff as long as one is honest about why the endorsement is made.
    People like to get other people's opinions before they fork over their money and they like reading reviews.
    Adults at the very least have their own responsibility for deciding on what advice they want to follow. If they decide for instance to ride helmetless, on icy roads with no hands, and no brakes on a fixe (I believe you have "endorsed" all these activities), that is their problem. Look out if they hire a bike lawyer though :P
    Anyway I look forward to hearing about your new roadbike. I have a feeling I might know what kind of bike it is.

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    1. But only while sitting backwards on the stem, preferably with hands in the pockets and eyes closed.

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  28. Now I can't wait to read your review of your road bike. The suspense is killing me; such a tease.

    Seriously, though, for me the real strength of this blog is bicycles and cycling as seen from your particular perspective, emotions and all. I have especially enjoyed reading about your experiences as you have transitioned from someone who viewed herself as not-at-all-sporty, to a full-blown roadie. If I want dispassionate bike reviews, I know plenty of places to find them. It's your point of view that makes this exercise interesting, and I do hope you won't filter all of that out.

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  29. I'd say that you should say sooner than later. My guess is that the excitement of a new custom - my assumption - road bike will have you smiling for a long time and that the glow will continue to color any review you may write. That continues to be my experience, though my reviews are verbal. Some readers will take your choice as an endorsement and should do so. You give a good but biased assessment - an assessment that comes from your perspective as any review comes from the writer's perspective and your readers know the evolution of your perspective. You have recommended a number of bikes over the time you kept this blog and I'm betting that you inspired a number of purchases already. Your glowing reviews of the Seven Axiom S and the Seven single speed has undoubtedly pushed one or more readers towards a Seven. BTW I test road an Axiom and I agree they are great bicycles. One can't help but smile when on one.

    You are quite good at giving disclaimers so your due diligence is done. Full disclosure: I want to see if my guess is correct.

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    1. Bias was too strong a word. Perhaps perspective would be more to what I intended.

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    2. I don't think there is a difference.

      But wait, glowing review of a Seven single speed? Do you mean the Gates drive bike? It had TCO and no fenders/racks, so I don't remember writing about it glowingly. But the ride quality was darn nice and those other things can be customised.

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    3. Yes, the Gates drive bike. I read it as glowing but that may have been something I read in that you didn't intend. I consider ride quality to be a major component of the beauty of my bicycles, although it is not necessarily visible. Fenders and racks are important to me (both of my bikes have fenders, one has racks and the other can have a rear rack) but Seven, or any other custom builder can add it to the build. And toe overlap ... I'm not as concerned about it as you. I think it is just something to be concerned about while riding and then only when you are moving very slowly, but I have been know to be wrong before. I don't know this but assume that most road bikes do have toe overlap issues.

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  30. I say don't overthink it, and the term "Lovely Bicycle" can apply just as well to a zippy modern road bike as a retro transport bike, as well as anything in between. Nothing wrong with "this is my bike, I like it, you might not" and leave it at that.
    As far as perspectives and endorsements go, though, I'd love to hear MDI's impressions of the little-wheeled folding bike, as a 6-foot-plus rider, I've been a bit Brom-curious, but nobody in the neighborhood has one for me to try ;-)

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  31. I've got a 1993 Univega & it fits me like a glove. Or have I grown to fit it? Anyway despite having a pair of much newer and arguably better Treks I just cannot sell my U! When everything else lets me down, or for a bit of comfort it is there for me. It does nothing well in todasy's terms, it just does everything asked of it - it's a bit like having a cat, you never know who the boss is!

    Congrats on the Brommie - I bought one earlier this year, but unlike most of the Brompton enthusiasts on the blog I only use it where it is more suitable than one of my other bikes. The "fold" that they rave about is all to do with arriving on a platform,and stepping onto a tube/train as you fold the bike - about 15 seconds for me, and the dirty chain is tucked inside the fold, so no fears of upsetting passengers. My partner & I elected for the rack version & happily tow the half folded bikes through the local shopping malls by the handlebars.

    Keep up the good work!

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  32. For seasoned readers of your blog the cycle of infatuation/can't stop talking about it/best bike ever morphing into steady dating and finally banishment to the storage shed it familiar. So just put a disclaimer at the top of the review stating "Warning: Prone to Bike Infatuations That Do Not Necessarily Lead to a Long Term Committed Relationship" and title the reviews accordingly as "Initial Infatuation Phase", "Relationship Drama", "It's Me It's NOT the Bike" etc. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT THESE BIKES...and we will indulge you. Most of us are probably bored at work and happy to be distracted.
    Trust me we are not holding you responsible for our bike buying decisions. We are big boys and girls.

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    1. Hahaha thank you for that : )

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    2. Not to mention that the "My Current Bicycles" section could be seriously spiced up into:

      1. My first love (Raleigh Sports)
      2. My steady ride
      3. the bike I'm riding on the side
      4. secret crush
      5. ex-bikes I still secretly pine for
      6. the good looking jerks that broke my heart
      7. oh that bike--yeah we went out in public a few times but it never amounted to anything

      and that way all the bikes you have loved and lost could still have a home on the blog

      etc etc

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  33. I'm interested to know what the cohab is going to do. Is there a more road-ish road bike in his future as well?

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  34. hi what box are u using to pack the bike? :)

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  35. "Another big change, is that we now own a couple of folding bikes, which we've been riding for transportation almost exclusively."

    It is funny how that happens. In spite of owning one of the most beautiful Rivendell mixte's in existence, my Brompton, too, has become my "almost exclusive" transportation bicycle.

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  36. I really had to think about how to say this because I can see your point about the endorsement idea. Nonetheless, I hope that you will rebuild the "My Bikes" section of this blog. Not because your buying or selling is an endorsement but because the bikes you have owned have the most extensive descriptions of where you were as a cyclist when you had them and why they were or weren't ultimately suitable at that point.

    Even if it is a different format where there is a picture and a name then a list of all the posts where that bike appeared.... it is helpful to new riders (or people referring new riders) to be able to go to a particular bike and read the process that was involved in choosing the bike and ultimate to let the bike go. The My Bikes area was a place to go for some of that, since a new reader wouldn't know who "Myles" was to follow that link in the Browse Topics area.

    I know that the current batch of posts are from the point of view of an experienced cyclist, but the older posts are really encouraging for women looking at getting into cycling because you were so honest about what you were thinking and experiencing at the time. It really resonates with new riders.

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    Replies
    1. The "my bikes" page will be restored shortly. I am still figuring out what the new format will be.

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