So I've been reading MMM for 6 months or so. We've taken some solid first steps. Moved 28 miles closer to work, keeping the first home as a rental. Working on refinancing both houses to shuffle equity and eliminate PMI on the new one. (Only paid PMI for 3 months because we needed to move fast or miss out on our dream home.) Paying off both cars with the next bonus (2012 Mazda 3 and 2000 Ford Ranger.)
Now that we are settled into the new place, I'm ready for the next step. Biking 2 hilly miles to work.
Yes. I'm a wuss, but I get a little less wussy everyday.
The last hurdle is trying to find the right bike. I read an old MMM article on good choices at nashbar, but the links are all broken. I read the incredibly detailed article in this forum, and It was information overload. Normally I'm all about doing intensive research on such a large purchase, but after three months of researching housing and landlord tips and refis and DYI home repair videos, I am burnt out.
I don't have time to wait for my motivation to return. Winter is coming, and I need to build my badassity before the cold gives my inner wuss an excuse to wait until next spring.
Today, I have a 20 year old hybrid mountain bike with a broken shifter. (Practically mint condition, but definitely a department store bike.). This doesn't cut it when riding 2 miles on moderately steep St. Louis hills. The work ride is on the outer road of the highway, with the shoulder designated as a bike lane. I would also like to get a small cargo trailer and bike 4.5 hilly miles to the grocery store. The ride would be similar to work. My neighborhood is fairly bike friendly.
I have essentially zero riding experience since elementary school. I made the work trip once on the crappy bike. With proper shifters, I expect the ride to be challenging but pleasant, even at my current embarrassing level. (I had to walk up the last bit of the last hill.)
What bike should I look into? Are there any STL mustachians who can recommend a good bike shop for measurements? I went to SwimBikeRun (this branch should be called JustBike, since that's all they had.), but they only carry racing bikes, and they seemed completely uncomfortable answering questions for some one at level 0.
Ps. In case it matters, I'm female of average height/build.