Originally Posted by
wunderkind
You should know of all people that Vancouver has a thriving bike theft economy. Riding a shiny new bike as a commuter is just asking for it. Unless you can bring your bike into where you work, then I think getting another beater for commuting would be a wiser choice. I read nowadays, some folks are "mugged" off their bikes here in Lower Mainland. That is the sickening state of our society in Vancouver.
Having said that, have you looked at those new MEC bikes?
Yes I was in MEC recently and it looks like they covered all the bases with their new bikes (mtn, commuting, comfort, fixie, racing...). They looked nice, maybe a bit too cute. The sales guy said they were avoiding low- and high-end, which was apparent from the prices. I'm sure they're made at one of the usual factories overseas. Curious to hear how they perform after someone's been riding one for a while.
As for theft, this is something I'm seriously grappling with. Considering I've never had a car, and this is my day-in day-out transport, I just want to ride a nice bike for once, dammit. I would buy the best Abus lock and I have a secure bike room at work, so my main worry would be during errands. (And I'd keep 1 or 2 of my current bikes as backup for any trips to the Eastside). Any other tips besides "buy another beater?"