Buying a bike

A continuation to this post.

I decided I would get a used bike from a local bike shop.

I talked to one of the employees there and he offered me some interesting options. I felt a bit more sure of myself, I had watched a lot of bike videos and at least knew what mechanical disc brakes were, for example.

I was still undecided about it, and I kept asking random stuff, what are the types of bikes they sell, what are the price ranges they have, what sizing would fit me better, etc.

The guy was very patient with me. I spent a long while standing there saying absolutely nothing, just looking at the options, researching whatever models I could recognize on my phone while they just waited for me to make my choice. I even asked to the guy for opinions on the online-only brands I mentioned in my last post.

During my decision paralysis, plenty of clients showed up, some adults who wanted a basic service check, others showed up with their kids, with a flat tire or faulty brakes.

When I looked at videos online, I saw a lot of mixed experiences. Videos of bike shop owners, who want to help their customers, warning them that Walmart bikes are bad and difficult to service, but they buy it anyway and now are doomed to struggle with them constantly because their components aren’t as replaceable or repairable. And I saw the opposite side. Customers complaining about small local businesses being disrespectful and elitists, refusing to provide service to them because they didn’t buy a bike from their shop or because the work per hour is more expensive than the whole bicycle.

With the rise of the internet and AI and all of what happened during the pandemic, it seems to me like a lot of people simply don’t trust anymore on the opinion of the experts, even those you can see right in front of you, who constantly work and operate in their are of expertise.

But of course, what if the expert will only lead you to buy something with a big markup for them to get more money, when something cheaper could have been enough? What if they sell me a bad bicycle and I’m ignorant and happy about it and I could have found the same thing elsewhere at half the price?

And online, most videos from content creators and influencers online will also be sponsored by some companies offering dubious services, and one can’t help but wonder if people only care about money instead of being decent with each other, but also that’s just how the system seems to be over in the mainstream web.

But well, in the end, I watched videos from European and American channels, where people ride to work in bikes worth $5,000 and a training wheel installation can cost 50 or 70 bucks.

Most of the bikes I saw people riding are just tools more than recreation, and as such, bike repair and maintenance is common. Honestly, most of the clients seemed pretty humble to me. One of them was a street entertainer who seemed a little drunk, he showed up and said “Hey this isn’t working for me bro… please give it a maintenance for me… thank you by the way, I will pay you later… I’ll be right back! Don’t worry, but fix it, and check the brakes too, okay? all good, I’ll return in an hour” and left the bike there and went elsewhere just like that. No money exchanged, just a loyal clientelle of regular customers. All the other interactions were just as simple and chill. That is what the culture in my country often is like.

So I decided to trust the shop the shop, I got a bike from them. All in all, they were very understanding, and I guess they want to sell stuff after all.

I chose my bike, a Fuji Traverse 1.6, a hybrid bike ideal for city commute and some light dirt paths, I got it used for 432 bucks, and paid an extra 10 bucks to add a kickstand—no installation fee!

I traveled all the way from the bike shop to my house, about 7.5 kilometers or so, which took me about 25 minutes. It was a great ride with just some down and uphills none of it was a problem at all!

And well, I’ve already gone on a couple of rides and had some more experiences, which I’ll share in an upcoming thoughts.

TL;DR: I am very happy with my purchase, good stuff!