What: Raleigh Talus 2 bicycle
Cost: $230 (Including shipping)
Purchased From: Experticity.com
Because my wife and I own only one vehicle, it sometimes transpires that I need to bicycle to work and back. However, I’ve only been doing this when necessary, due to the fact that my current bicycle is an old clunker my wife’s folks were going to throw away. On a good day, you can shift between 4 of the 21 gears, but it does work in that it gets me to work and back.
I’ve wanted to upgrade the bike situation for a while so that I can ride into work more regularly and go for recreational rides with the wife, who has a nice higher-end bike.
Pretty much every bike I owned was a salvage of a trashed Wal-Mart special up to about age 10. Then I took my hard-earned money to the local Raleigh dealer and bought a used bike for $100. It was a great investment. That bike lasted me through years of paper delivery (even in snow and ice) and transported me to countless lawn mowing, brush clearing, and other odd jobs. It was a great bike.
So when I saw this Raleigh for $230 with free shipping, I jumped on it. My budget on the list was $300, so it wasn’t crazy spectacular savings from my budget, but it was still significant, and it meant a bike from a manufacturer I’m familiar with and trust. Plus, that old Raleigh was blue, and this one was available in blue as well–it is sort of like getting my old bike back, but brand new and with significant upgrades.