There comes a point in every riders life when the ride you currently own does not seem up to the tasks being asked of it. We reached that point in Lonna's life this week. The old beach cuiser just wasn't cutting it on the greenbelt rides we do, and we weren't even going to try it on a trail. So, what to do!? There was no shortage of advice from the seasoned riders we know. Hard Tail or Full Suspension? What size for her 5'4" cuteness? Color choices (she's a girl after all!). Did she need disc brakes? Clip in pedals? And so the choices went.
What it really came down to in the end, after lots of shopping online, was price. How much bike could she get for how much money. It's probably the same for nearly every rider when the shopping starts - you want it all. Then when it really comes down to it, who has $2800 for a new bike? (we didn't). We ended up at PerformanceBike.com. There we found an IronHorse Warrior 4.5 that was 40% (wow!) off and had all the neat goodies we wanted. Full suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, 27 speeds, and the stamp of app
roval from Zac, our nephew and cyclefreak extraordinair.
roval from Zac, our nephew and cyclefreak extraordinair.Heres a picture of the bike after we got home.
and one of Lonna installing her water bottle holder.
Getting the bike was an interesting adventure. While on Performace bikes website we saw that members get 10% back on every purchase, so we decided to sign up. We could use the 10% back 
for more gear! Looking on line there was only one left in the size Lonna needed (small). And we also found that you can save the $48 shipping if you order from a red phone at the store (and have it shipped to the store). Zac works there, so we thought saving the money was a good idea, and he could pick it up for us. Lonna went to the Chandler store after work to order the bike (thinking she would be about 15 min.). Turns out they had the exact bike we wanted in stock! It was the correct size and everything. Just needed to figure out the pedals (lonna doesnt want clip ins yet), and did we really want to spend the bux. Its funny how much easier it is to spend money online than in person. Lonna called Zac and he came down (wasn't working at the time) to help. Thanks man! Anyway, (an hour later), the bike got home in the back of the Benz with Lonna driving and all was well. She couldn't wait, so we quickly mounted the lights and rode the neigborhood at night. It happened to be Halloween, so it was fun to be amoungst the goblins and gouls.
for more gear! Looking on line there was only one left in the size Lonna needed (small). And we also found that you can save the $48 shipping if you order from a red phone at the store (and have it shipped to the store). Zac works there, so we thought saving the money was a good idea, and he could pick it up for us. Lonna went to the Chandler store after work to order the bike (thinking she would be about 15 min.). Turns out they had the exact bike we wanted in stock! It was the correct size and everything. Just needed to figure out the pedals (lonna doesnt want clip ins yet), and did we really want to spend the bux. Its funny how much easier it is to spend money online than in person. Lonna called Zac and he came down (wasn't working at the time) to help. Thanks man! Anyway, (an hour later), the bike got home in the back of the Benz with Lonna driving and all was well. She couldn't wait, so we quickly mounted the lights and rode the neigborhood at night. It happened to be Halloween, so it was fun to be amoungst the goblins and gouls.I found I needed to adjust my derailure, but didn't have a stand to work on. The girl scout in Lonna, who is always prepared, suggested the bike rack. Mounted the rack to the truck, and backed into the garage and Voila!, instant work stand!
We havn't gotten on any real trails with Lonna's new bike, but we can't wait to get there. If only life didn't always get in the way!
We did ride around the parking lot at McDowell Mtn Park this morning at Zac's race (dust devil series round 2), and Lonna is doing great. I think this mountain bike thing may prove addicting.
Zac did great in his race - First Place in his class! I'll have him write about it soon. Meanwhile, here's a pic and vid from the race...
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