Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.gearhead82
02-14-09, 08:06 PM
I was bored today and thought I'd go do a little "window shopping" at the local bike shops to see if there were any good close-out deals on 2008 bikes. I really got in to road biking last summer and I like my CAAD9 but I've never been really comfortable on it for longer distance rides. It may be a fit issue, but I think it has more to do with the fact that it's a very stiff bike with racing geometry and I'm just not used to it. So after doing a little research on BF I've been looking into bikes with a little more of a "relaxed" geometry and something that's a little more forgiving on the rough pavement and those kinds of things. I was interested in the Bianchi Via Nirone so I went to a couple shops and looked. I wasn't impressed with the bike in person, there were none on sale, and nobody had one my size to test ride. I decided to wander to my local Performance Bike shop (I'm new in town and had never been there).
I wandered around and noticed that they had some great clearance deals and I started looking at the cyclocross bikes. I was in love with the bigger tires and beefier look. I REALLY liked the way the Fuji Cross Pro looked and decided to take it for a test ride. Big mistake. I was INSTANTLY in love with the bike as soon as I sat on it. I rode around the parking lot at a pretty good pace and jumped a few speed bumps and curbs. I felt amazingly comfortable on it. My hands were light on the bars and it just felt like it was made just for me! It felt sturdy smooth and I wasn't worried about having to dodge bumps like on my roadie, but it still felt quick and efficient.
And the best part, the price! Retail was $1800. The 08 model was on sale for $1150, plus performance has $100 off this weekend and I talked the guy down to $1000 even! Plus I signed up for their "Team Performance" and got 10% to use on accessories. So I have $100 for pedals. It's an Ultegra/DA mix. The bike I rode was an 09, but luckily they had an 08 in my size (56 cm) boxed up in the back. I should be able to pick it up tomorrow or Monday at the latest. I'm stoked! Bikepedia and other websites don't show the same color scheme as the one I purchased. I wonder if its a special scheme for Performance? I found a correct picture online, and I will take pics of mine when I pick it up.
http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/2d/6a/dac2_1.JPG
I wandered around and noticed that they had some great clearance deals and I started looking at the cyclocross bikes. I was in love with the bigger tires and beefier look. I REALLY liked the way the Fuji Cross Pro looked and decided to take it for a test ride. Big mistake. I was INSTANTLY in love with the bike as soon as I sat on it. I rode around the parking lot at a pretty good pace and jumped a few speed bumps and curbs. I felt amazingly comfortable on it. My hands were light on the bars and it just felt like it was made just for me! It felt sturdy smooth and I wasn't worried about having to dodge bumps like on my roadie, but it still felt quick and efficient.
And the best part, the price! Retail was $1800. The 08 model was on sale for $1150, plus performance has $100 off this weekend and I talked the guy down to $1000 even! Plus I signed up for their "Team Performance" and got 10% to use on accessories. So I have $100 for pedals. It's an Ultegra/DA mix. The bike I rode was an 09, but luckily they had an 08 in my size (56 cm) boxed up in the back. I should be able to pick it up tomorrow or Monday at the latest. I'm stoked! Bikepedia and other websites don't show the same color scheme as the one I purchased. I wonder if its a special scheme for Performance? I found a correct picture online, and I will take pics of mine when I pick it up.
http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/2d/6a/dac2_1.JPG