My Bicycle

When my wife and I went shopping for bicycles, we thought in terms of comfort and durability rather than speed. The most comfortable bicycle I found in my price range was a 21 speed hybrid Univega, Via Carisma. Its base price in 1996 was about $500.00 Canadian ($420 U.S). When I first saw the bike I wasn't wild about the two tone color. Also, I thought the frame heavy by some standards - but then decided with the weight I carry it didn't much matter anyway. It's a comfortable bike and that's what was really important to me. I can be on it all day long and not hurt too much. It's still a good bicycle today.

My bicycle when it was new in 1996. I upgraded several features, most importantly the shifters. Standard on the bicycle were the kind that shift with a twist on the handle grip. I hate those. For another $80.00 Canadian I upgraded to the Shimano Deore LX (the kind you just have to flick with your fingers). Also, I like to sit up rather straight in the saddle so for a few dollars more I added a long handle bar stem - the downside of this is that there is more weight on my backside. I use a large touring gel based saddle with a wool sheepskin cover that alleviates any discomfort there.

By the time I added touring racks, bar-end extensions, a mirror, a cateye cycle computer, lights, a water bottle and bracket, a good u-lock, a front handlebar bag and some expensive Cannondale panniers (which aren't waterproof by any stretch of the imagination but have a plastic frame inside and pack from the side like a suitcase for ease of use) I'd spent close to another $500.00 Canadian. That was a grand total of about $1000.00 ($840.00 U.S.).

No doubt some people have questions about gears, gear clusters and gear ratio - I don't have a clue about that. As I mentioned above I have 21 speeds. I get up most hills fully loaded without having to get off and walk. For sure I won't break any speed records but when the road is flat and there's no wind I can cruise along at a pretty good clip. For my purposes the gearing seems to be okay whatever it is.