Again, thanks for all the replies everyone.
Slim, you've especially been really awesome in replying to everything I've been posting.
So about the folding bikes. I almost don't even want to consider them, as I think I might start pulling hair out of my skull. But to humor the notion, what brand of folding bike is the best for my $600 and under price range? I realize the wheels are smaller on folding bikes. How exactly does that translate to performance when riding on flat terrain in the city compared to a 700cc wheel size? Does it make it harder to pedal or slower?
I thought the folding bike thing was a bit gimmicky as well, but again, I don't know anything about bikes.
Yeah, the Pure Fix and Phat Cycles seem okay, but even the dude at the bike shop said that at some point I will probably end up wanting something better. He even said that if I got one, it would most likely quickly become a beater bike as I become more educated on bike matters. Not bad, but not exactly what I am looking for either.
I wanted to test ride some bikes today but ran out of time during the day extremely fast. REI, suggested I come back to test drive the Novara Buzz One when it wasn't dark outside. So I will come by over the weekend. They didn't have any adult sized Raleighs. But yeah, in terms of aesthetics, its more colorful and eye-catching than I was hoping. It's definitely a beautiful bike, but maybe too beautiful in terms of looks. Nevertheless, the consumer co-op thing and satisfaction guarantee policy is ridiculous!!! I almost want to drop cash in that store and buy a bunch of dumb **** just because of that policy. I could even buy the Buzz One and hold on to it for a year or two and return it one day when I get bored. It almost doesn't feel right.
They said they could switch up handlebars to a flat one. LoL, why the **** are the rims blue???
I will definitely give it a test ride over the weekend.
I stopped by another bike shop today that is a Jamis dealer. They did not have any Coda Sports =( , but said that most likely their other locations would have them and they could have them brought over given a day or two. However, they did have a Redline 925 in stock for $480. I will set up a test ride for the weekend so I can check out the Coda Sport and the Redline 925.
Unfortunately, while I was there the dude (who was helpful) started showing me some more bikes and stuff. I didn't write all of them down, because I am going to go crazy. But one of the models he mentioned that I guess I will test ride when i have time is the SE Draft Lite for $330 (specifically its a black one with red grips and I think a red crank). It's very inexpensive, is that worth looking into?
It seems like almost all the stores I've been to have the same 3 year policy on brake and gear adjustments. How important are these types of matters?
NYC Velo, offers a free brake and gear adjustments for a lifetime which definitely appeals to me since I am liking the Felt Brougham that they showed me. And REI of course seems to have the best policy which is everything for the life of the bike basically.
Does anyone know about this thing?
http://times-up.org/
Apparently among the various things that they organize is a free fix your bike workshop in LES Manhattan and Brooklyn. They supposedly had one today, and I was going to stop by, but got a little creeped out when I walked over to the location, it was supposedly in the basement of some creepy looking abandoned building and I didn't really see anyone hanging around there and was even too scared to peak inside. I was hoping maybe I could stop by and ask some people questions and look to it as a resource for riding and meeting cyclists and learning more. If anyone is familiar with this non-profit direct action organization, can you offer up some info on it and their workshops and events?
So yeah, I will spend a good majority of my weekend test riding bikes. Specifically I will definitely try to test ride:
Felt Brougham
Novara Buzz One from REI
Jamis Coda Sport (hopefully, they have it when I come back)
Redline 925
Raleigh Misceo
and I forgot to ask around if anyone had the Surly Steamroller, but I'll see if anyone has that for me to test ride as well.
Thanks again, everyone, I hope my thread isn't becoming annoying. It's just that I rapidly start to get obsessed when I'm about to make a big purchase. I'm always uncomfortable about not being a well-informed consumer.