I was getting 5 weekends there, and initial plan was that I would be visiting friends outside California on 3 of those weekends. So I would get just 2 weekends in the SF-BayArea, so I was really not sure how much time I could give to cycling.
But due to various reasons (or maybe subconsciously, I was leaning towards cycling), 2 of the trips ourside California could not happen; and the one that happened was the last weekend. So I had 4 straight weekends in the SF-BayArea. And boy, did I capitalise on that! ;P
I landed there on a Friday (how convenient! ;)), so the very first weekend (on Sunday), I went to SFO with a friend. As we walked around there, sightseeing, I kept ducking in and out of bike stores, to see what was available on rent. While there were nice options -- ~$30 per day, to $16 per day, if renting for a week or so -- the bikes were not quite the type / level that I wanted. I am a fairly serious biker, afterall. So, what was I looking for. Well, nothing too fancy / exotic. A steel frame bike, with or without drop bars. Or if not that, then a Aluminium frame bike, with a steel fork.
Towards the end of the day, as we were returning to where we had parked (near the cafe which my friend's mom runs -- 901 Columbus Cafe, at the corner of Columbus and Lombard), I saw this bike store -- just 1/2 a block from the cafe -- Columbus Cyclery, at 801 Columbus. I ducked in and got talking to one of the chaps there (John) -- told him what I was looking for, and he showed me couple of bikes. One was a Specialized bike -- Aluminium frame, with steel fork, I believe. I really liked it, but it was bit small for me. John btw, seemed really nice and straightforward, so I felt good chatting with him about my biking etc. in India. I suppose based on that, he could tell that I was a regular cyclist, and was quite clear on what I wanted. So at one point, he suggested I take a look at the bike he rode. We went out, and he showed me his orange frame Cannondale CAD M300 bike. A used one, fairly old. But very well maintained. (I later checked on the net -- these are from the mid to late 1990s, from what I could tell, maybe some are from early 2000s too. It was considered an MTB, back then. I would call it a hybrid now, just that it had 26" wheels.) It was an Aluminium frame with a steel fork. I took a test ride, and it felt quite good. He pointed out that it was Made in USA. :) He said he would sell it for $400, and would also replace the seat, and one of the derailleurs, and the brakes. The stem was an old style one, and he said he might also be able to put in a different one (still old style, but one that would extend out a bit further), to see if I felt more comfortable on that. Btw, I felt a big difference between John and the chaps at the other bike stores. John seemed genuinely excited about cycling. So it was a pleasure interacting with him.
I told him that I would decide during the week and get back to him, and told him not to sell the bike to anyone else, till he heard from me. He was fine. He said he would also buy the bike back for $200 in a few weeks, if I wanted to sell it back to him, when I was returning to India. :)
During the week, I spent some time looking for used bike sale ads on Craigslist, and saw some ads for Surlys etc. I contacted one of the sellers towards the end of the week, and said I would schedule to meet him on the weekend. He was near SFO, so I figured I would checkout his bike, and if that did_not workout, I could just swing by John's shop and pick up his bike.
Come weekend (Sat), I headed to SFO, but not before I checked out a used bike store in Mountain View; they also make their own bikes. They had some really old bikes -- Motobecane etc., from the 80s maybe, if not earlier, but not what I was looking for.
So I continued to SFO. Once I was there, the meeting with the guy selling the Surly did_not happen. Btw, he told me he was someone who picked up bikes etc. in auctions, and then sell them off, so he had some other bikes too; and was also flexible on the price. He said he could show me one other Surly bike too. So I was really hoping to meet him, but for whatever reason, he could_not come, and that fizzled out.
Meanwhile I had swung by Columbus Cyclery, and met John. I told him I would confirm within ~30mins if the other meeting was happening, and if not, I would buy his bike. Once the other meeting was cancelled, I let John know, and we met at the store a bit later. He had already replaced the derailleurs and brakes. He got the other stem, and put a new seat, and I took a test ride, and all looked good. About then, I saw another guy (found out later his name was Ron) standing out side the bike store with a road bike, that looked nice. While John and I were finalising on John's bike, Ron was there, and I got talking to him about his bike -- a Trek 1200 Aluminium frame with steel frok. Ron had put various components on it, and built it himself. And I'm not sure if I am remembering this right, but I think the gears were Shimano Tiagra on the front, and Shimano 105 on the back. I recall thinking those were some really good components. The Trek 1200 again, John pointed out, was Made in USA. :)
While chatting with Ron, he said he would sell the bike for $150. I immediately got interested. I told John to take a look at the bike, and tell me what he thought. He looked it over and said it was a real good deal for $150. He said the front wheel was not that good, but he added that it was a good deal even without a front wheel! :)
After I came back from a final test ride on John's bike, Ron said that one of the other chaps at the bike store had just told him he would buy the bike for $175. I was wondering if these guys were running a scam on my, and I voiced that to John and Ron. I decided to take a test ride on the Trek -- did that, and it too felt pretty good. It was a bit small for me, but it was such a nice bike, and a good deal, that I decided it was too good to let go.
In the end, I went with my gut -- the guys seemed straightforward, and I decided to buy the 2nd bike too. :) I told Ron that I would buy him beer, and that he should sell me the bike for $150. Ron agreed, and that was that -- I picked 2 Aluminium frame + steel fork bikes, both Made in USA, for $550. Both the bikes have such classic looks / lines, that it felt real nice having them. :)
I bought Ron and John couple of beers at my friend's mom cafe :), where we sat and chatted for a bit. I got John and Ron's email ids too, and then after they helped me load the cycles in my car trunk, we said goodbye, and parted ways.
So, I was now the proud owner of 2 nice bikes. And it was now upto me to put those bikes to good use. Well, I was fairly certain that it was mostly the Cannondale that I would ride. The Trek -- well, one of my friends could ride it.
In the next part, I'll write about my cycle rides, and other cycling related stuff that I did in the SF-BayArea. Meanwhile, here is a pic of me with the two bikes, from a later ride --
Till the next time... happy & safe cycling!
