New Outside Column!

Firstly, here's my lastest Outside column, which is about why I love riding a bicycle in the city:


Every so often I complain about this particular city and someone comments that I'm an idiot for living here--and while that is undeniably true, perhaps this missive will offer you some insight into my delusion.

Secondly, further to yesterday's post, a number of commenters questioned the pricing and overall viability of the Tresca I'm currently testing:


These questions are certainly valid.  I've since delved even deeper into the retail landscape and though more about it and yes, why order a Tresca over the Internet when you can spend the same (or less) money and buy a Cannondale in person?  As good as the bike may be, they don't seem to be offering the same no-brainer pricing as other Internet-based bike sellers like Canyon, which is ultimately what tempts people to take the leap of faith that buying a bicycle online requires.  (Also, the Trescas aren't even shipping yet, which means you can't have one anyway.)

All of this is to say that Tresca certainly have their work cut out for them.  In the meantime I will continue to ride and enjoy the bike and provide my honest feedback, but the rest is up to them.  And hey, there are companies that emerged during the fixie boom I never thought would survive, but some of them have since become well-established and continued to thrive.  (I mean I assume they're thriving; they've got a website, don't they?)

Finally, I invite you to ponder this baffling image, which I came across awhile back while researching bike pricing:

This will forever remain one of the greatest mysteries in cycling