I’ve fallen prey to the buying bug. After a couple summers of renewed interest in bicycling, I’ve determined that I need a newer bike. Well, I guess that depends on how one defines “need.” My 21-year-old Raleigh rides about as well as it did a year or two ago. But it’s not as fast or sexy as the new ones. And who doesn’t like fast or sexy? Besides, the old faithful has a weight issue, and extra pounds aren’t your friend when you’re headed up any of East Tennessee’s finer hills.
I haven’t decided what to buy yet; I’m leaning toward a carbon fiber frame with an ultegra-level components. Thus far I’ve looked at some Treks, Bianchis, Felts, and Giants. Hope to check out Specialized, Litespeed, and a couple other brands soon. My hunch is that within a given price range, the quality of a majority bikes is comparable. So test rides are primarily focused on fit and feel.
If it’s been a while since you priced road bikes. Or if, like me, you’re cheap, you might be surprised at the cost of these machines. So in addition to finding a bike I like, I’ve also been going through some rationalization exercises to justify a purchase. Here’s a few of the things I’ve come up with:
(1) Haven’t bought a bike in 20 years.
(2) The cost isn’t so bad if you amortize it over a number of years.
(3) I don’t spend a lot on entertainment/recreation.
(4) Cost isn’t so bad when you compare it to recreations such as golf and travel.
(5) An investment in health.
(6) You’re only “young” once.
(7) It’s fun.
I hope to complete this process soon. Warm weather is fast approaching.
February 2005
What Savings?
I received a mailing from the health insurance company touting how losing weight “can improve your health and lower your health care costs.”
So if I’m not overweight, shouldn’t I be entitled to a lower premium? Oh, that’s right, they’re talking about their lowered costs.
GOP Pollsters Help Protect America From Terror!
No one could have ever imagined this was going on at DHS:
Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge met privately with Republican pollsters twice in a 10-day span last spring as he embarked on more than a dozen trips to presidential battleground states.
Ridge’s get-togethers with Republican strategists Frank Luntz and Bill McInturff during a period the secretary was saying his agency was playing no role in Bush’s re-election campaign were revealed in daily appointment calendars obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
“We don’t do politics in the Department of Homeland Security,” Ridge told reporters during the election season.
His aides resisted releasing the calendars for over a year, finally providing them to the AP three days after Ridge left office this month.
Shocking, eh?
Volunteer Tailgate Party
. . . at newsrack blog. Thomas also has some bests of 2004.
Terra Time Again
As Congress deliberates the upcoming budget, they were treated with a string of administration officials yesterday warning of the terror threat [while offering no specifics or new information].
It’s kind of funny–we really hadn’t heard much about al Qaeda since . . . right before the presidential election. Did the terrorists go on vacation during November, December, and January? It’s interesting how the tide of their “chatter” apparently rises and falls in synch with the Washington political calendar.
Must Be Watching The Fox News Historians
A poll finds that Republicans would choose George W. Bush over George Washington by a two to one margin. A scary indication of the sheep-like mindset of the majority party.
It also indicates that most Americans are pretty clueless about Washington’s era.
No wonder rightist often try to frame arguments around what they claim the founding fathers intended–most Americans don’t have a clue whether whether the pundits are telling the truth or not. So they can say whatever they want and most people won’t know the difference.