Having your bike stolen sucks!

Late last week my bike was stolen from behind the building where I work.  Sucks, no doubt about it.  And although I hate to blame the victim (mainly because it is me!) – in this case, I was all but asking for it to happen.

I usually skip locking my bike up at the office during the day.  However, if I leave it there overnight I go back and chain it, but forgot to do so this time.  And so on Friday while chatting with a co-worker about what kind of commuter bike she should get… I said, “Hey, you should check out mine to get an idea.” When she pulled up the shade and looked out the window, it wasn’t there.

Putting a positive spin on this is the fact that the bike was a low end model and I have been considering an upgrade for awhile.  Combine that with the REI Anniversary Sale going on right now (15% off bikes) and I think Jess was starting to wonder if I asked someone to steal it for me.

Dave and his stolen bike

The big decision for me when considering a new set of wheels was whether I wanted something a little more touring capable, or something that is more of a pure road bike.  I value fast and light for the vast majority of my ride time, but we have long wanted to dip our pedals into overnight bike trekking, and that would typically require a heavier, sturdier bike.  So the two I was looking at were the Novara Divano and the Novara Randonee. (Although, I must say, if money was not an issue I’d try to get my hands on a tricked out Surly Cross Check)

The Divano was a nice test ride. It was light and seemed to fit me well.  But, I’m just not sure I was 799 dollars impressed by it (and it only came in an ugly bright red).

So I began to reconsider the overall purchase.  When Jess and I decided the likelihood of us getting our act together and actually planning out a bike touring vacation was pretty slim this summer, it seemed silly to even consider spending the extra money on the Randonee.

Combine that with the fact that I am not real good at taking care of my toys (any new bike is just as likely to fall into disrepair or get stolen) and it became clear that I needed to aim lower. So in the end I decided I would just head down to a local bike shop on Monday and pick up another low to mid-range commuter. One that will hopefully last me another several years before the upgrade bug hits again.

Probably a smart decision since the kayak and roof rack we did end up buying at the Anniversary Sale just about exhausted our REI Gift Certs!