Posts Tagged ‘Infinite Cycles’

The Lowdown on Bike Britches

Written on March 27, 2010 at 1:40 pm, by hleggat No Comments

Category Heidi Leggat | Tags: ,,,

After much deliberation I decided to purchase those lovely bike shorts that all the hip bikers wear.  Let me tell you, it was not an easy decision.  I was hoping I could find something a little more stylish, but to my dismay there was NOTHING out there that was more stylish.  For some reason I just can’t seem to find the desire to wear shorts that have permanent “padding” all around the groin area.  Unfortunately, my rear was in such pain that I felt this purchase was a necessity.  I searched high and low trying to find out what makes some shorts/pants cost $150.00 and others only cost $39.99.  Luckily Infinite Cycles was there to help the bike illiterate.  Being the cheap person I am, my immediate reaction is to purchase the $40.00 shorts.  However, my favorite bike shop suggested I try on the shorts before making a decision.  What great advice!  After trying on 3 different pairs of shorts at 3 different price ranges, I found that there is a huge difference in price and fit.  To my dismay, my rear, and all other parts of my lower body, appreciated the mid-price shorts which run about $80.00.  The shorts I got are specifically made for women (Shebeest) which would explain the better fit.    There are differences in padding which also play a part in price, but what I learned is that if the shorts fit, buy them.  I plan on wearing these shorts for LONG 60  mile rides, so I need to be comfortable.  It is worth the money to spend a little more for comfort, especially when there isn’t a lot of style to choose from.  As for bike pants, which would be worn in colder weather, if you don’t have money for the shorts and pants I do have a great money saving tip.  Buy the better shorts, then get some running pants to put over them when it is cold.  Running pants will only cost you about $30-$40, and will keep you plenty warm on those cold days.

I Got Me Some Wheels

Written on March 2, 2010 at 9:37 am, by hleggat 3 Comments

Category Heidi Leggat | Tags: ,,

Yahoo! After much searching I have finally purchased the PERFECT bike. Buying a bike was a tremendous learning experience. To tell everything I have learned would take way to much space, so I will do the best I can at condensing. First, I went to what felt like 50 million bike stores. I looked at bikes that started at $390.00 and bikes that cost $5,000.00. I even went to pawn shops to see if they had any used road bikes. I checked the want ads for a few weeks, to no avail. I talked to all my biking friends to get their opinions on bikes. I talked to my road biking brother-in-law to get his opinion. After all this I decided to buy my bike at Infinite Cycles for the following reasons:

  • They offer lifetime service on every bike. Most shops only offer two tune-ups on a new bike. Infinite will tune up my bike as often as I need as long as I own it! Plus, they are super close to where I live so I don’t have to drive very far for my tune-ups.
  • They sell the best looking bikes: Cannondales (Of course this is based on my good taste and opinion :)
  • They have the best customer service and treated me like a queen. I was there for two hours learning about my bike and getting fitted for it. They answered every question I had and I didn’t feel rushed. I went back two days later to get something and even though he had never helped me before, the guy that helped me knew who I was. I was amazed.
  • They are not pushy. I’ve always been a little leery of going into a small bike store because I was afraid I would be hounded by the sales staff (like a car dealership). Not at this store! I left there feeling like I had made some new friends. (I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true.)
  • They are the biggest community bike ride supporters. They are supporting Goldilocks and The Tour de Riverton. You know when a store supports the community like this they love biking!

I purchased new instead of used for a variety of reasons. The most important are listed below:

  1. I don’t know enough about bikes to trust that I would be getting a good deal when buying used.
  2. When you buy used you have to expect to still put a little money into the bike for tune-ups, parts, fittings, etc. I figured I would have had to put at least another $200.00 into the price of a used bike to get it to where I wanted. And, I would not have the benefit of getting free tune-ups every year. Tune-ups alone can run between $60 and $140. Fittings for the bike can run about $60.00. Even the seat of a used bike might need to be replaced and those can be expensive too.

I hope these tips help anyone looking for a bike. My biggest fear was to spend money on a used bike and have it turn out to be a lemon or just simply not have the right fit. I know that some people are able to find screaming deals on used bikes. However, I am so happy with my decision to buy from Infinite Cycles. The included fit and lifetime service are really what sealed the deal for me.