Bike Forums - Hello from Lakewood, CA

I have picked up interest in cycling over the past year. About ten years ago I rode 10 to 12 miles during lunch, but I had terminal chaffing issues which led me to park my bike indefinitely. At that time I was riding a Specialized Rock Hopper which I made into more of a paved trail bike.

I can't remember what spurred me on, but I started looking into Xtracycles and cargo bikes in late 2010. After searching around on the web, I narrowed my selections to an Xtracycle Radish, Kona Ute or Yuba Mundo. I ended up finding a new Yuba Mundo V3.3 on eBay for $800, so that settled the choice. I picked up the Yuba in late May, 2011.

I ride around locally doing errands on the Mundo. My 5 year old loves to go to daycare on the bike. I like that it is easier to use than a trailer, but carries a heck of a lot of stuff. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Costco on the bike. Everyone does a double take, thinking you HAVE to take the SUV if you're going to Costco. Some day (this summer?) I want to go camping with the bike. I can carry enough supplies on the bike for a weekend.

The Mundo is big and heavy which makes it less than fun to go long distances. I always knew I'd need more than just one bike. :) I kept my eye on craigslist for road bike deals. I wanted to have some fast exercise rides. A bike that got stuck in my want-base is LeMond. I kept a look out for a nice inexpensive example. I finally found one in September for $490. After I checked it out, I snatched it up. It is a '97 Alpe d'Huez in orange. It is reasonably light, especially for steel. It has Campy components (lower end) and shifts amazing. I've always had Shimano components and I've always had lousy indexing. To date, the only money I've spent on the bike is for tires. What a great bike!

On a LACBC fun ride in the summer, I saw a bunch of people on folding bikes. They were really cool looking and I suddenly saw the attraction of a folding bike that I could take with me anywhere. The Mundo is like a ship or an airplane: if it can get to the destination on its own it's pretty convenient. But if you have to transport it by other means, it is a huge hassle. Family vacations with bikes would be much easier with folders. I could easily take my bike back and forth from work.

I have not settled which folding bike I want. I bought a Tern Verge Duo (the first one in the country!) for my wife this Christmas. That is an awesome bike. Must be seen to be appreciated. I mean it looks cool on the web; in person it is amazing!

My regular rides are 13 to 17 miles at lunch down the SART to Huntington Beach. As I mentioned before, I also ride around the Long Beach area. I'm interested in road cycling, mountain bike, urban cycling, touring and utility cycling.

Hope to see some of you around!
-Ian