Bike Shop Saturday

I am not entirely sure what made me want to go to the bike shop. It could have been that the weather has been rather mild. It could have been that I saw people out riding their bikes. It could have been that I was thinking of my birthday and had presents on my mind. Either way, I found myself in the bike shop on Saturday after doing some errands. If the title or picture haven’t given it away (because I haven’t written the title yet, or inserted the picture) I should explain that the bike shop is a special brand of kryptonite. I hardly ever leave without buying something.

When I bought my first pair of cycling shoes, I had my eyes on a different pair than I ended up purchasing. They looked cool and they were in my price range. What they weren’t was comfortable. They were ill fitting and in a fit of practicality that I am not usually able to manage, I went with the pair that fit well. The cool pair came in fantastic black. The well fitting pair came in white. I asked if they came in black, but was rebuffed. They probably came in black but the store wasn’t interested in ordering them for me. Since I wanted to get riding, I reasoned that colour was hardly important, but I never stopped to wonder how grimy that white would become. Despite my reservations the shoes have served me well. Most importantly the Boa closing system was fantastic. I love that and wish I had it on my street shoes and boots–maybe someday.

Fast forward to Saturday and I tried on a couple of pairs of shoes. They both came in black, fit well, came with the Boa closing system that I liked, and were in my price range. When I had pretty much selected mine, the store owner or worker (I go so infrequently that I get confused) asked me if I wanted to try on a 600 dollar pair of shoes. Who wouldn’t say yes to that? Was this a sneaky sales tactic? Probably. Did it bother me? No. No matter how good those shoes were, there was no way I could afford that. I’ve got some cycling related expenses this year (new helmet, cycling computer, …..carbon wheels) and that kind of money is already spoken for. If I had extra money, I would be putting it away for house stuff (kitchen renovations, paying down the mortgage before I become a victim of increased rates).

Skeptically, I tried on the shoes. The fit was good. The use of two Boas was especially welcome as it made for better feel. The real thing was that the colour was awesome. I have to admit it, for a brief few moments I was tempted. They looked so good. Looking at the photo you might also conclude they looked cool. They also came in a neon blue, but that didn’t really inspire me.

A day later, my landscape is covered in snow and only Zwift will see my new shoes. I guess that’s fair.

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