About

A little bit about me and why I am writing this blog.  

   I like most people grew up riding bikes, and as I got older I went to buy my first adult 21 speed mountain bike.  I started at the local bike shops and was quickly turned away when all they wanted to sell me were bikes worth more than the car I owned, so like most people in that situation I ended up at Walmart.  I ended up buying a cool looking full suspension Schwinn on clearance and paying around $160 for it. 

   Well I was so excited that I immediately set out to conquer the mountain trails.  I started riding up the hill and I noticed that the gears kept shifting when I applied a lot of torque to the pedals, this I now know as ghost shifting which was the frame twisting ever so slightly at the rear suspension linkage that resulted in the gears shifting up and down.  I rode up as high as I could while dealing with the ghost shifting and turned back to start the downhill.  

   As I was riding fast downhill the thrill of speed overtook me and I quickly forgot the bad experience with ghost shifting when I hit a small jump.  That jump upon landing caused my handlebars to come loose and dropped forward suddenly which in turn caused me to lose control and crash.  At that moment I decided to swear off Walmart bikes forever, or so I thought.

   I actually got enough courage to take that bike out riding again on a couple more occasions, but it ultimately sat collecting dust and eventually was donated to a family member for light use.  From that moment on I told myself that I would someday buy another bike, but it would cost more than I paid for my first car.

   Fast forward several years, and I find myself at work one day contemplating a scheme to save money on gas and earn those wellness dollars for health insurance while I was at it.  Seeing that I didn't have much money being the head of a single income household, and living off of lower middle income wages I set out to buy a bike again.  This time I was looking for a road bike, of which I had never ridden.

   To the bike shops I go, again discouraged by the salesman who tells me that the only bike that will work for me is a $900 "Entry Level" bike.  So I once again set out to find a budget bike that defies traditional bike shop prejudice.  This time I had the internet with endless amounts of reviews and information at my disposal.

   After spending a gnat’s lifetime on the internet sifting through the piles of miss information given out by name brand groupies and bike shop only advocates, I came across a blog featuring an inexpensive well-built street bike called the GMC Denali.  I researched every bit of this bike and decided to take a chance and purchase it from Walmart.

   The GMC Denali has turned out to be a great bike.  The Denali weighs a bit more than the supposed entry level bikes from bike shops, but I bought it for fitness and a cheap commute every once and a while, and for that it works great! 

   This is the reason I am writing this blog, because of the years of fun and enjoyment that was swindled from me because of the massive amount of miss information from supposed bike experts which kept me believing that I would have to take out a second mortgage to buy a bike that would be safe and work as it should.  I’m not saying that all department store bikes are great, because there is quite a bit of them that aren’t worth the money. 
  
   I have found what makes a bike good isn’t a big name brand, or the price you pay, it has a lot to do with the overall fit and feel, components, intended use, and most importantly it should call to you to ride it!  The most expensive bike in the world is worthless if you never ride it, so the bike should inspire you to get out and ride.

   I hope to inspire you to find the bike that is right for you, and I wish you many exciting miles to come.