Then I visited Iron City Bikes, and I have to say that I was treated like an idiot. First of all, I walked in and there were 3 dudes working, but I had to stand there waiting for one of them to address me. Finally, I singled one of them out and asked if he could help me. He quickly passed me on to another man, who I found out later was the owner. He quickly explained everything as though I should already know it. Every question I asked, I was given the shortest answer possible. He answered the phone in the middle of us talking (remember there's 2 other people working at the same time). Once I thought about it and decided I'd see what else there was elsewhere, I let him know. He then tried to keep me there by explaining how he orders things and when the next shipment of the bike I was looking at would be in (with someone on the phone he was holding to his chest). It was frustrating.
So then we come to the gRIDEitude part of this post. I went to Thick Bikes in the Southside. Let me just tell you. They are absolutely phenomenal. The owner, Chris Beech, is smart and calm and helpful. He spent his sweet time with me going over the features to look for in a commuter bike, showing me some used options (because I didn't have enough money to buy new), and explaining each and every geegaw I asked about without sighing once. He gave me a fair deal on my used bike, and I now know she's in good hands.
Geegaws I went for:
Donkey Boxx
Collapsable Metal Crate
Sweet fenders with rubber flaps at the back so the water doesn't creep around and getcha anyway (You also get a SWEET full body shot in this one...along with my compost bin in the background)
So I traded in my bike, got this new (to me) one with all the geegaws, and they threw in some thicker commuter tires for a little over $300. And they put everything together. Did I mention, they were really nice? How's that Performance Bike? $1,000 to get me set up?! I don't think so! HaHA!
You may think the good news ends there. You're wrong.
I have the best ride to work ever. So my gRIDEitude must extend to the other folks who have made it possible. Those being: RiverLife for advocating for HUMAN spaces along the river and connecting me to the beautiful bodies of water that are so integral to our city's heartbeat, (They've made some amazing headway lately), and Bike Pittsburgh for making the roads a safer place to ride, and for also being friendly people who care and listen.
I'm sure there are others. I don't know all of them, but I just have to sum it up with this:
That's what I see on my way to work. It smells like Crown Vetch, Queen Anne's Lace, and Bachelor's Buttons. It's serene and cool and quiet. I'm pretty sure I'm in a longterm relationship with a goldfinch because of these rides into work. Do you understand?! It's changed my life.
I'm thankful.
