Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25170
• • • • gear THE BLUE BIKE BUYER'S GUIDE BIKES CAN SAVE THE PLANET AND YOUR SOUL. ITS JUST A MAn ER OF CHOOSING WHICH PATH TO TAKE. TEXT: ROB REED Bikes are like destinies: there's one suited to each of us. And, like destiny, bikes lead us down paths in life, whether they are sketchy singletracks, or mellow routes. In many ways we choose our destinies; in some ways they choose us. This, too, is true of bikes. Back in the day, bike buying was as easy as picking a man's or woman's frame. Then size became a factor. Later, we were given the choice of mountain bike, road bike or cruiser. Then, which type of mountain bike? Hardtail or full suspension? Or perhaps you'd like a suspended mountain bike with road wheels and disc brakes so you can romp around Seattle as if it were a matrix of asphalt singletrack? Indeed, bike breeding has gotten out of hand and there are more rides to choose from and more ways to ride than ever before. Beach cruisers are more stylish, lazy and high-tech. Road bikes are so light they practically levitate uphill. There's even a category of bikes tailored to training for and riding events such as the California AIDS Ride. In response to the explosion in choices, the practice of choosing a bike has become a diagnostic-like experience, like getting a prescription for your particular urge to pedal and in the correct dosage. In some cases, you'll need to medicate heavily with multiple bikes to serve demands of transportation and recreation alike. Here is a cross-section of 2001 bikes based on the venue in which they shine brightest. Match your symptoms with the conditions and you've found your bike. Buy one, ride it and write to us in the morning . MOUNTAIN BIKING YOU LOVE DIRT. HERE'S HOW TO RIDE THROUGH IT. • AGGRESSIVE BIKES SYMPTOMS: The need to push the envelope of speed, air and off-road terrain. A love of dirt. CONDITIONS: Vancouver's North Shore, home to the steep8lt, sketchl8lt, sickest trolls on earth with names like The Reaper and Hangman. 1> Kona Stinkee Primo Riding this bike inspires confidence, like having a devil on each shoulder telling you to go faster, FASTEIl, FASTER' Guardian angels. however, are found in its 10 inctles of suspension (five front and five rear). hydraulic disc brakes, and superstout Easton aluminum frame. Built around what could be the best full-suspension design ever-- four-bar linkage-this bike handles huge hits with bno and corners on a rai!. To be nitpicky, ttle rear pivot is on the seat stay rather than the chainstay. ThiS makes the rear wheel travel in an arc rather than a vertical path, thus affecting handling ever so slightly. Regardless, this bike smokes downhill without so rnuch as a tllnch. Kona, 800·KONA-USA, www.konaworfd.com. $3,700 2> Mongoose Fairlane If the Kona is a Hummer. then ttle Mongoose Faltlane is a Ford Explorer that can take you to the same places but on a much cheaper budget. This is one of Mongoose's brand-new line of serious full-suspension bikes, and although the Fairlane looks like a typical four-bar linkage design, there are a couple of unique ele- ments. First, the company figured out a way to put the rear pivot on the chainstay. wilere it belongs, thus maxirnizing its ride potenti;J!. Next, an adjustable "Front Porch" head tube gives you a choice of setup between lax or tight handling. RockStlOx-brand suspension and mechanical disc brakes keep the weight and price down without compromlsrng performance ... too muct1. Mongoose, 800-645-5806, www.mongoose.com. $ 1,500