After 13 years, I finally decided to purchase a new mountain bike. After two years of on-and-off research and test rides, I bought a Cannondale Prophet 800 (specs / full pic). For a contemporary full-suspension bike targeted to the techno-junkies on a reasonable budget, the Prophet 800 got rave reviews and most importantly, rode smoothly and “fit” me well. Besides, the “lefty” fork is so freaking high tech!

It was surprisingly hard to find a Cannondale dealer nearby with decent floor stock. After talking with a few local bike shop owners, it turns out that the Santa Cruz brand of bicycles is dominating the local market (also sold int’l). While Santa Cruz bikes test ride extremely well and look great, they are simply priced way too high for the “general public”. The base models with a complete package start around $2000. But any enthusiast who knows what the want can easily fall in the $3K - 4K range… it’s simply too much for anyone on a budge. That being said, Amy and I drove to Mikes Bikes in Palo Alto. I managed to negiotiate $350 off the price! I didn’t buy my new truck at full price, and I wasn’t about to buy my new bike at sticker either. I don’t mind helping the sales agent put food on the table, but I’m definitely not paying to take his/her kids to Disney!

Off for a ride…

This entry was posted on Friday, August 4th, 2006 at 4:23 am and is filed under .plan.