Let me introduce myself, my name is Ritu Riyat aka Rsquared aka R2 of course followed by the D2. I grew up with a lot of nicknames (apparently the 4 letters in my name were too long). Thanks to Star Wars the name that stuck was R2D2. I fought it in the beginning and soon succumbed to my new nickname, and I accepted the reality that as along as Star Wars will be around, so too will my robotic counterpart and namesake. I don’t mind much, I kinda like the little robot. What does this have to do with my bike shopping?
My next stop took me to a high end bicycle shop. Because I wasn’t planning on trying out bikes I didn’t have my gear but after browsing their selection I was tempted to get on a couple. The first bike handed to me was a Pinarello, a bike I had wanted to try mostly because it sounds fancy AND one of my best friends has it. I went on a short ride on the bike patch, and nearly crashed as I tried to figure out how to ride a bike without clip less pedals and shoes. Ha-ha. 2 years ago, I was crashing for the opposite reason. Anyhow, I turned to go up a hill and nearly stopped in my tracks, scrambling to gear down. I made it up half way and was ready to go back. Shouldn’t my new bike make the hills EASIER?! Not the bike for me.
Next up was the Scott R2, a sexy black and white frame featuring the name “R2” on the bottom tube. I’m a sucker for signs so my first reaction was, OMG it has my name… its meant to be! I took it out hoping that I would fall in love. I came back 15 minutes later with mixed feelings. I really liked it but I couldn’t make a clear judgment without the proper gear. So I decided to come back another day to finish up my testing.
2 days later I was back, fitted from head to toe with my cycling gear, and ready to find my new bike. Since I already tried the Scott and Pinarello I wanted to try something else. I was given a Willier. My friend gave me a brief history of the bike company and this particular bike, it’s a great bike. 20 minutes later, it was a great bike BUT it wasn’t the one. Nothing in particular turned me off from it but nothing attracted me either. “The one” will stand out!
I tried two Pinarellos and didn’t seem to fall in love with either. They were a little heavy for my taste. The hill climb wasn’t any easier even with the appropriate gear.
My friend suggested that I ride the Scott Foil R2 again… I did. I fell in love. It responded to my pedal stroke and the slightest hip movement. It floated over the bumps and cracks in the ground but still felt grounded. Can it climb, is the question. I turned to go up the hill, still in my top chain ring, my strokes slowed slightly but I was still moving and a few strokes later I was up the hill, STILL in my top chain ring. This bike is a DIVA! I love her.
I came back to the store and expressed my interest in the bike. Now comes the twist in my bike shopping journey… the bike shop is just as important as the bike. If you have spent a significant amount of cash on anything before, you know that customer service seals the deal. Bottom line I want attention. AND a little price break too. Neither was happening that day. I practiced a well learned yoga lesson; let it sit with you, if it continues to come up then it’s meant to be. I left the bike shop with a pair of socks and a new bike in the running.
It boiled down to the Scott Foil and the BMC Team Machine. Which one is it going to be????
