It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That's how you start long rambling posts, isn't it?

So this morning about 9:30 AM I decided to get on my bike and ride about 6 miles to a bike shop that I have never been in before because the Electra website says they are the local dealer. It's a beautiful day, about 75 degrees, the ride was nice, just a few hills, nobody yelled at me or tried to run me off the road.

I get to the bike shop and take a look at the electra bikes. OK, first these things are too frigging big, and weight? Let me tell you about weight. Boat anchor. Aero? Why don't they put parachutes on the things. I look at some more bikes, giant simple single, not a bad bike if you made it steel instead of aluminum, replaced the handlebars, the tires, and the stem. But really, if that frame was steel we might be onto something.

On to the next bike shop where I looked at a breezer uptown. The thing has lights, fenders, and an internal 7 speed hub. OK, this looks good. They let me take it for a test ride. I feel like i am in a lounge chair. My back was straight and I was sitting on this bike like a sack of potatos, straight up. Aero? Screw aero, we want comfort!

No thanks, this thing is supposed to be the bike for the masses? It's a toy for the masses, upright, not even a nod to aerodynamics, and it has the sort of seat that at first feels great but you know after 5 miles will rub u raw when it chaffs the skin off ur thighs.

Onto bike shop number three, I had to stop for some food and something to drink since im a fat slob and we are up to about 12 miles or so now. I look in this shop and see the same things i saw in the other shops: Giant sedona, Giant cypress, Giant ocr3, then some more landwhales-- ratfink, giant simply too bigs. The salesman comes over and says, "Can I help you?"

By this time I am skeptical and i sort of shake my head and the guy says,"Tell me what you're looking for and I will see if we can find it."

So I tell him:

"Something steel, singlespeed or internal hub, fender, rackmounts, doesn't weight 40 pounds."

And the guy ends up saying, "Nope, don't have anything like that."

So, here we have it, there isn't anything like that available. And why the hell not?

So I'm on my way home and without noticing it i realize that all of the houses have become very nice, manicured lawns, people are outside scrubbing their cars, and the guy I just passed said hello to me. The woman washing her car smiles and says hello to me. Then it hits me, this is the market for all those comfort and cruiser bikes, rich people and their toys. Joe breezer may say he wants to make bicycle commuting a dream but why did he make his bikes big bloated upright turds? Because people buy the idea of a commuter bike, they don't actually buy a bike to commute on.