Valeria’s New City Bike
Valeria wants to get a new bike, she is worried that if she buys a race bike it might not be strong enough for her to jump kerbs and ride through parks. She has some ideas of what she wants but needs our second opinion, here we go.
This is valeria, 28 years old girl, Italian but living in Cambridge (u.k.) at the moment.
I start to ride a bike every single day for 10km in the past 2 years so far, and I absolutely love it, it’s a pity that I start too late because not only I really enjoy but I’m quite fast. But too late to get seriously in the cycling.
At the moment I got a quite cheap Ventura with Xenus, I love this gear it’s so precise and it never get stuck, but I’m thinking to buy a new one, something faster.
Well the problem start here.
I was almost going to buy a Bianchi racing bike (I would love it) but I’m a kind of person who doesn’t have any problem to jump on the pavement if the traffic get stuck or take the shortest passage crossing the park in the mud sometimes. Rare but it happen.
Others worries about racing bicycles are the wheels. quite thin so it would be easier fell if is raining or due to some leaves.
So I was thinking to buy a touring bike because the wheels are bigger and they got the drop handlebar which I find quite comfortable..but I don’t really fancy all the equipment they got and maybe they would not solve my problem.
So at the end I thought to get.something” in between”.and the answer seems to be in the hybrid.but I won’t give up on the drop handbar..and seems quite difficult to get one with it,unless I swap the straight handbar with the drop one,but this would be a problem for the gear and the brakes.
So basically a nightmare. I was so sure to buy a new bike in the next month,but it seems I can’t find the one I looking for.
Have you got any suggestion?
Sorry for my awful english and thanks for your time and sorry..this isn’t a question it’s a dilemma!
Ciao, Valeria.
First, Valeria, let me say your English is very good and your right, buying a new bike is a dilemma, but I think its one of the nicest dilemmas there are!
If you want a Bianchi racing bike, get one. Its so nice to ride a top class race bike, I would get the race bike for riding in the evening in the summer and at weekends when you don’t have to jump the pavements and save your old bike for the days when you go to work or College or whatever when you have to cross the park, one bike for good days and the old one for work.
From what you say it sounds like you need to have the drop handlebars, so don’t give up on them, if that is what makes you comfortable you should stick with them and changing to a Hybrid will not solve anything and cause more problems
Forget the touring bike, its not what you need and might not ride as well as your old bike, so don’t go there.
Don’t worry about the wheels, a good set of road wheels are pretty strong and if you are careful when riding you shouldn’t have a problem, get the good bike and enjoy your riding. If you ride 10 kilometres everyday you must be fairly fit, get together with some others and you will enjoy your riding even more. Go on get the Bianchi!
