Hybrid Bicycle: Meet the Half Bicycle – Half Motorcycle – the PiCycle

Hybrid Bicycle 

Well folks, the 21st century has another hybrid vehicle = this time a hybrid bicycle.  The PiCycle is available for all of you who would like to have the convenience of not having to spin pedals for 25-30 miles while at the same time having the assurance that at any point during the ride you could turn off the electric drive and start pedaling to meet your exercise goals.

This actually sounds very good – being able to get your exercise or hurry up to that appointment if you think you are late…

So the bicycle we are talking about here is the PiCycle – seen from a photo of the product from their Web site:

PiCycle

So for all of you who want to feel good about your eco-agenda, and/or still want a good/fast mode of transportation, the PiCycles may be a thing for you.

 

Specialized Jett–Review after 1st Week

I thought I'd write an update after my bike buying posts.  After finally settling on the Specialized Jett as my ladies' bike of choice, what are my impressions after a week of use?  To put it simply…wow!  I'm very happy, which I should be, considering all the time and effort and money that I put into this.  (Okay, I know that $1100 for a bike is not much for you $4000 carbon fiber fancy bike folks, but it is a lot for me!)  From my other two bikes, a Giant Iguana, circa 1993, and a Giant ATX750, circa 2006, this is a huge step up.  The Specialized Jett (baseline model) is light and maneuverable, and its 29 inch tires allow you to cover a lot of ground quickly.  The bike feels stable, and the brakes are powerful without being so sensitive that they might throw you off your bike if you overbrake.  Oh, and the saddle! I upgraded on that a bit, to the Specialized Lithia Comp Gel Saddle.  The standard saddle that the bike came with was good, but this baby was really an improvement.  One of my biggest discomforts when biking has always been the saddle.  I've tried various super-squishy soft gel seat toppers, but they never seem to help much, and they tend to shift about when you ride.  This Lithia Comp Gel saddle is pretty firm, despite the word 'gel' in its name, but the ergonomic and overall construction of the seat are such that it is overall the most comfortable saddle I have ever use.  It is specially designed for a woman's anatomy, and you can really tell the difference.  A comfortable ride translates to a longer ride for me, and that is key to my fitness goal, so I was able to rationalize the extra cost of the saddle.  Oh, and one last thing that I really like about the Specialized Jett are the handlebar grips.  They flare out, giving you a large padded area to rest your hand on, and I find them exceedingly pleasant to put my hands on.  All in all, I am very happy with my new bike purchase.  Now, I just have to keep up my riding commitment 🙂

 

 

Ladies’ Mountain Bike Shopping–The Conclusion

More mountain bike shopping excitement!  I went back to the bike shop a few days ago to see if I could try out the bikes that they had been holding for me since last Sunday, when i was prevented from doing a test ride due to soggy conditions.  This time, I felt a bit more educated due to my previous week's test rides, and I had a bit better idea of what i was looking for.  The first bike I tried was the well-rated Trek Mamba.  I had been very excited about trying this bike out, due to the excellent online reviews I read.  However, to my dismay, I found it just wasn't very comfortable.  I attribute that to the fact that it was a men's model I was trying out.  Not having a single ladies' Trek Mamba in any of their Austin stores, this was the best they could do.   I'm sure it was a great bike, but it didn't work out for me.  Disappointed, I asked again which ladies' bikes they had available in my size, and I was encouraged to try a Specialized Myka Elite Disc 29.  At a MSRP of $880, this was one of the less expensive bikes that I tried, and according to the bike shop guy, its cheaper price was due to its lower end components.  However, the fit of the bike was great, and I found it quite comfortable to ride.  It was perhaps a little lower end than what I had been planning to get, but its great fit to my body proportions made it a contender.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/mykaht/mykaelitedisc29

So, at this point, my two favorite bikes were both Specialized ladies bikes, but their prices and specs were quite divergent.  You might remember from my previous post on this subject that I had tried out a Specialized Jet Comp and had been very impressed.  However, at $1449, it was a bit steep for my tastes.  And I really liked the Myka Elite Disc 29, but it seemed a bit on the low end for me.  Luckily, it turns out that there was a midpoint bike between  the two:  The baseline Specialized Jett. Running a more palatable $1099, it had the same great frame fit as the other two Specialized bikes, but it also handled better than Myka Elite without the steep price tag of the Jett Comp.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/jett/jett

On the baseline model Jett, everything felt right.  On the men's bikes, I felt too far off the ground when the seat post was at a appropriate height, and my arms felt like they were straining ever so slightly to reach the handlebars.  On both models of the Specialized Jett that I tried, everything seemed to fit my body better, from the comfortable ladies saddle to the specially shaped handlebar grips.  The Jett Comp, at $1449, felt a little better than the baseline Jett, but to me, the difference was not worth the extra money, especially for the more modest gentle trails and roads that I was likely to use it on.   So I am happy to say that I finally made a decision and went with the baseline Specialized Jett 17 inch, and I'm glad I did.  After an exhaustive and careful fitting at the bike shop, I brought the Specialized Jett home today and I went for my first ride.  The difference from my old Giant ATX 750 was quite stark.  The 29 inch wheels of the Jett powered me up the hills and the bike felt marvelously responsive.  At least on Day One, I couldn't be happier.

Day 2 of the New Mountain Bike Shopping — Pouring Rain — No Progress!

Well folks, we were all set to go and attempt to close a deal on a new bike today.  However the weather had different plans for us.  The day started with a heavy overcast.  The morning was so dark, we can hardly believe daybreak was there by the time 8 o'clock struck…. And by 9am the rain started!   And it continued to rain ALL DAY LONG!

As a result we could not do anything but just discuss the bike options verbally and look further at photos and specs.  Around 2pm one of the sales guys from the bike shop called us to let us know they have received the bikes we had asked to test ride today — with the 2012 TREK MAMBA among those.  But they relly could not let us ride the bikes in the rain — official store policy.  

Here are some more photos of the bikes we tested yesterday:

So, we will continue this exercise next weekend!

 

Shopping for a Ladies’ Mountain Bike

Well, today one of my front shifters broke, and I decided to take it as a sign that it was time to upgrade to a new bike.  It had been six years since I last bought a bike–a Giant ATX 750 in Beijing, China–and I was excited to see what kinds of exciting new bikes were available.  After looking at some bike reviews online, my husband and I headed off to our local bike shop to check things out.  First, I wasn't quite sure whether I should opt for a ladies mountain bike, or just go with a men's bike.  I had always purchased men's bikes in the past (a Giant Iguana in 1993 and the aforementioned Giant ATX 750 in 2006)–in fact, I don't even remember ladies mountain bikes being an option back then.  But they are clearly quite popular now, to judge from the number of models available in stores and online.  With great excitement, I gave the first bike a try–a Trek 4300 Disc:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/sport/4_series/4300_disc/

It was certainly a step up from my current bike, but the bike felt a little stiff, and the model that they had available wasn't the right size for me.  It was a shame, because it was on sale, and it was the cheapest mountain bike there.

The next bike I tried was the Trek Cobia:

 

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Buying a New Mountain Bike — The Experience

Today we are going to buy a new mountain bike — the old Giant is finally showing its age and problems started to appear.  First to go were the gear shifters.. That you would think is one of the more durable components on the bike but alas it was not the case on this Giant 750 ATX

Giant 750 ATX   The red bike is my Giant ATX

 

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My Bike After (Almost) Two Years — What are the Impressions for my First 29er – Specialized Rockhopper

In December 2010 I decided that it is time to try the new type of mountain bike — the 29-inch one. So after about 20-years since my first bike I decided to checkout again the Specialized ones. Surprise, surprise, the Rockhopper — which I was familiar with from the early 1990s is still there as a brand! So I tested a bunch of different ones – Trek, Giant, and zeroed in on the Specialized Rockhopper 29er. Here it is:

29er Rockhopper My Year+ Old 29er Specialized Rockhopper   

Today I decided to summarize my view on the bike — since 29ers are becoming more popular as time goes by.  Startiing with the few (yes, very few) negatives:  

  • The Rockhopper 29er brakes have a strange issue – they make lots of noise when used !   Well documented issue — you can search on Google and will find references to the problem.  The rotors have a problem — I had mine adjusted by the shop where I bought the bike (Bicycle Sport Shop – I am  not affiliated with them – just like their service) and most of the time things are OK. I still would have liked Specialized to have proactively fixed the problem rather than me chasing it….but….
  • The bike is heavier than similar components type bikes…but then you pay for the 29er size!

Now the positives are much greater:

  • Climbs great — great gear ratio and available settings
  • At the same time — yes — it Descends well
  • Durable bike – I have taken a few tumbles and it is in good shape…
  • Fast !!!

Yes, the bike is FAST!  The benefit of the 29er is in its downhill speed.  Without pushing it I have been able to get to 30+ miles an hour speeds which I believe is fast for a bike like that one.  And on one of my road rides I hit 42-miles per hour!!!! Yes on Bee Caves Road in Austin near OneWorld Theather…. if you are from Austin or have ridden on Bee Caves Road you will know what I mean.   So the Rockhopper 29er is FAST!

Here are some snapshots from my brief ride this morning – the snaps are from my Cycle Tracker PRO software (split the ride in two halfs):

Snapshot of a part of my ride Cycle Tracker PRO  The Map of the Ride Brief Ride Map

Speed Graph from Cycle Tracker PRO My Speed Profile  

And then, there is other folks' commentary on the Specialized and the 29er bikes.  Here is one:

 

At any rate, I think the Specialized Rockhopper 29er is a great bike for the money I spent.  Would recommend it for both casual riders and for mid-skill ones.  The only gripe I have are the brakes — they work great but make that not so pleasant noise…

 

 

      

Diamondback Returns to High-End Road Bicycles

In the years when I was starting to ride a mountain bike (well not that long ago — I am talking 1991-1992 timeframe) Diamondback was certainly one of the recognized brands and good bikes in the hills. Then they sort of disappeared from the radar of at least me and my friends. Now they are back with brand new models including a very high-end road bicycle, a 29inch mountain bike and many models in between. Long story short — they are now again a contender for attention (and your wallet and muscles)

Here is a video of the introduction of their high-end Diamondback Podium 2013:

 

Diamondback Podium Launch 2013 from Diamondback Bicycles on Vimeo.

And then please check out the video of the new Sortie 29 Black:

The 29-inch bikes are a new update to the model that was released in previous 2011 and 2012 but they are with some nice additions — from what I understand the new mountain bikes add a larger front tire and a smaller BUT faster rear tire — I need to check this out in my next visit to a local bike shop.  In the mean time — check out the new bikes at least on the Web 🙂   I will be doing the same.

Happy riding!