"Do those rain reflectors really work?"

"Yeah", I laughed, "fenders are proven technology, they've been around for over a century. And unless you favour pedal powered enemas, I highly recommend them."

So went the conversation with Chris, a colleague at work. Chris is an ideal candidate for two wheels: he has a young family and, with a mortgage, on a budget; he's located at Landsdowne and College, well within pedalling range of much of what Toronto has to offer; he doesn't drive and, at 15 K, a work commute is certainly viable (seasonally at least); and lastly, he's looking to lose some lard.

Why doesn't this man already have a bike? Precisely my reaction as well. Perhaps it's presumptuous to think it was my campaign of subtle proddings -- "Dude, drop the cheese doodles, grab a brain bucket and get with the program!" -- that finally prompted him to seriously consider the proposition.

More than likely Chris's path toward a two wheeled solution is merely the same pattern repeating itself, the course which I suspect many among us have followed to the same end. The last time two wheels played a significant part in his life he was struggling through his ABCs and now, decades later, the process has come full circle, culminating in the rediscovery that bikes are still fun, still convenient, and, more than ever, practical -- in short, a damned good bargain. Sound familiar?

Sweet Shock!

After graduating from if he should buy to what should he buy Chris's first step was a real eye opener. Literally. His distended eyeballs threatened detonation in a severe case of sticker shock.

"I dropped into Sweet Petes and they had bikes that cost over $3000! It's crazy! How much money can you spend on a bike!?"
I shrugged. "How much do you have?"

Ok, it wasn't the most ideal response. Truth is after someone such as Chris approaches me for advice, I almost always feel I could've handled the situation better. People buy bikes for different reasons, with different expectations; I wanted to help but reducing our respective biases and particularities into a simple formula that spits out the best advice can be challenging. It's tempting to just say "go there and buy that", and I would if I could be assured of a happy result. My first attempt being unsatisfactory, bear with me as I try here to again steer an aspiring cyclist in the right direction.

Basically speaking...

Learning can be a painful exercise: wander in from the wilderness after an extended absence and you should expect some surprises. Still, those reconciling a perspective chiefly informed by the bicycle sections of Wallmart and Canadian Tire flyers with the alluring velo porn at the local bike shop and the usual marketing bafflegab (it's laterally stiff and vertically compliant with strategically[!?] shortened chainstays, dontcha know?), can stumble on a slippery learning curve.

Bicycles are supposed to be simple aren't they? When confusion reigns it's time to return to basics. As they apply to most everything else you buy, these few basics will serve you well in deciding on a ride: a) you get what you pay for; b) your choice is best when suited to the purpose; and c) nothing's perfect, everything's a tradeoff.

Point one. The thorniest proposition to those considering for the first time a bike as serious transportation is the prospect of shelling out serious cash. While the initial investment can be daunting, a well built bicycle, when properly used and maintained, can easily last 20 or 30 years or longer -- a lifetime. The first quality bike you buy can well be the last.

Take a $1000 ride. It can seem an unjustifiable extravagance to one whose primary experience of bikes is of children's playthings, but to a workaday pedaller that daily relies on it, it's a screaming bargain -- especially when amortized over a few decades. There are many 25+ year old beaters still plying Toronto's streets that, precisely because they're neglected and unremarkable, attest to the inherent durability of the transport.

There's the used market of course, where there are deals aplenty. But for the most part these are reserved for the knowledgeable, experienced, and mechanically savvy. Going the Craigslist or garage sale route a novice may score a steal -- ugh, for real! -- or end up with a world of frustration -- it doesn't fit; it doesn't shift; what do you mean it's a fixed gear and I can't coast? the wheels need truing but the spokes and nipples are seized; etc. I recommend to prospective cyclists that if they buy used to do so through a local bike store or perhaps CBN so they can rely on a reasonable standard of preparation and followup service.

Which brings us to point two, deciding upon the right model. If you aim for all weather commuting look to models designed for durability, that can accommodate fenders, racks and a wide choice of tires -- save the bucks and skip the high zoot racer and all that eye candy. If you're riding is confined to recreational trails, on two or three sunny afternoons per year, you'll probably be pedalling the celestial circuit in the sky before realizing value from a $1500 mountain bike. Walmart may be the place for you, diminish your expectations accordingly.

Knowing what you want the bike for really simplifies the ordeal. Besides how much you want to spend, it's the cardinal concern. Sure that's only common sense, but there's always someone eager to sell you something you don't need, and we've all been in the thrall of that something -- or someone! -- that snares our fancy and has us running blindly from our senses.

Nothing new under the sun -- and on two wheels.

As much is made of its green, anti-materialistic underpinnings, the cycling industry is not exceptional. It's a profit driven beast like the rest; it's of, not separate from, our consumeristic culture, and it employs all the usual devices to push product and encourage consumption. Contrary to industry propaganda, each new year does not usher in revolutionary advances: the basic design of the bike has remained unchanged for a century (1911 and 2009) so rest assured you're probably missing little by being a couple of years or decades behind the latest trend. The industry and community is large enough to harbour wildly disparate elements and, like its nemesis automobility, eccentricity and fetish abound in the velo-sphere. Think nothing of it, ignore the distractions.

A good bike is...

Above all to the owner, a good bike is one that is enjoyed and valued. That applies to $150 bicycle shaped objects from X-Mart that function chiefly as dust collectors for 362 days a year as well as $10,000 carbon composite exotica geared to discriminating connoisseurs. Only in as much as a bike conduces to a good experience is it an appropriate choice and its cost is only one among many factors contributing to that outcome.

So don't obsess about the absolute lowest price. Cultivate a relationship with a trustworthy bike store, one that listens and extends due consideration, and remember that sound advice and instruction is integral to the purchase price. You pay a premium but it ensures against winding up with a bike that, though it costs less, proves ill suited and no bargain at all. If you sense you're being pushed or imposed upon, go elsewhere. Bye bye.

Not perfect, but damned close.

And the final point. Know that whatever winds up between your legs, it will on occasion disappoint. Well, you know what I mean. Nothing, and that includes bicycles, is perfect. And everything, again including bicycles, wears down and breaks eventually. Count on it, like death and taxes. Do not expect that after buying the machine you can relegate its servicing to oblivion -- why are cyclists prone to this delusion? As minimal as maintenance can be it's not optional.

Riding itself is a learning experience. You may be surprised at how many more moths find their way into your wallet -- big savings. Your body may change -- much for the better! -- responding and adapting to the activity. You may also benefit from a visceral lesson in sound nutrition as your previous morning ritual of coffee and chocolate eclairs has you bonking halfway to work. Possibly you'll discover and engage a different facet of your city. Or you may even undergo a radical political conversion, morphing from a pin striped conservative to a granola munching green. Or none of these may happen. That's part of the fun, you don't know until you try.

The last mile

Don't expect that cycling will work for you all the time in every place but do expect that a bicycle will absolutely expand your options. It will deliver greater mobility, empowerment and, ultimately, freedom. That's all for the good, and as easy as, well, riding a bike.

And that is what I should've said the first time around (but our shift was only 12 hours ;-). Anyone else have anything to add?