bike bike bike bike bike


so, i really haven't caught up with any of the stuff i wanted to blog in the past week(s), which also means i've probably completely forgottten what it is i wanted to blog about... so:

what's been on my mind recently is the issue of a "new bicycle."

problems:

1) i have a seriously abnormal body type... my inseam is insanely short and my torso plus arm length is insanely large. what this amounts to is that typical production bikes really don't fit me well. this leads to back pain, crotch pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, etc... and as much as one would think that one should just suck it up and train yer body to deal with it, in reality, getting a bike that actually fits you is kinda important. and, really, the idea that one should train yer body to get used to it really just leads to busted joints. not a "good thing(tm)."

2) getting a bike that actually fits you typically requires oodles and oodles of $$$. in my case, about as much as i spent on my current CAR. yes. C-A-R. so: i spent about 2k - 3.5k on my car (depending on whether or not you include insurance, repairs, gas, etc..) all in the span of about 6 - 9 months. and, recently, i've begun using my bike(s) as modes of commute more often than my car. the question being, will the custom bike i buy last as long or longer than the car i just bought? am i crazy/motivated (so hard to discern the difference these days) enough to sell my car in an attempt to force myself to strictly bike commute?

3) if i get an insanely expensive custom bike, whether or not i sell my car, will winter commuting be "too harsh" on the bike? would it make better sense to just get a slightly ill-fitting, but cheap, production bike to beat in the ice/snow/slush/cold/salt? (the real question is, how often would i have to replace/reapair either type of bike?)

so, along with those problems, here is the given:

1) i will bike commute to work at least 50% of the time this winter. if not 80 - 100%. why? i) the car i bought is in need of far more repairs than i initially assumed during purchase. i can only assume that winter conditions will make this fact even more true. ii) i _love_ the idea of biking to work in the snow. rebel w/o a cause? sure. BUT, the thought of laughing at cars sliding into each other as i slide into a ditch/planter/curb/etc... cracks me up everytime. for me, the phrase "two wheeled motion" is enough to get me to winter commute, and i understand that not everyone can appreciate that statement. so it goes.

2) i believe that i have a seriously abnormal body type. see problem #1 above. of the three bike frame manufacturers that i've emailed, all three have essentially said that, "if the bike don't fit, you won't be riding it." theoretically, the bike i own now doesn't fit (it doesn't. i've got an uber stem on there that really should be there and it's still too short a reach to my bars. one bike size up and i'm no longer in the population of humans that can happily reporduce). BUT I STILL RIDE IT. and enjoy it, in fact.

****

so where are my powers of utility curve divination? (okay, is that even a word?) the question this all amounts to is: will the benefit of a well fitted bike be "worth" the insane cost?

good thing i kept all my old text books (and have friends i can actually pester about utility curves w/o boring them to tears... i think)

*sigh* back in the day, i wouldn't have just bought the darned thing by now. (see/ask-about my history/practicality of technology acquisition)

;)