I hate biking. There, I've said it and I mean it. As a kid, I loved it! I remember my first 10-speed, a Fuji, it was my key to freedom. As an adult, biking became something else, a chore, a bore, slog. I've done a few triathlons, training on the bike seemed to take forever. I've bought and then sold a few mountain bikes, riding through the woods always seemed like work...uphill slowly for hours, for a minutes of fun on the way down.
The idea of biking appealed to me, but the reality just sucked. But somewhere, hiding deep down was part of me that just wanted to ride a bike. Not train for a race, not bounce through the woods, but just hop on my bike and leave. And that's just what I found when I got a demo bike from Priority Bicycles. It's like they read my mind and produced a hassle free cruiser.
Here's their credo "Priority believes that your bike should be ready to ride when you are. We’re dedicated to taking the stress out of buying, owning, and maintaining a bicycle." That's it! My bike was a stress reliever when I was a kid, and it had become a source of stress as an adult, (just the fact that my triathlon bike wasn't the latest and greatest caused stress). Training for a race was stress, dodging trees was stress, flat tires 30 miles from home! Stress! I have enough stress, I don't need any more!
Hoping on my this bike though is a joy. I didn't have to ride 30 miles for training. I didn't have to put it on top of the car and drive to the trail head. Where did I go? To town for a cup of coffee and a possible chat with a local friend or two.
The bike just worked, simply. It only has three speeds. I think of them as "uphill, downhill and flat". Simple. There's no chain to fall off and get you all greasy when you fix it. Priority bikes have a belt drive, often found on high-end bikes. And the bike was surprisingly light, not racing bike light, but light enough that when I carried it up a few stairs in town it was no big thing.
And all this engineering and simplicity comes in a shockingly affordable package. My past PITA (Pain In The Ass) bikes that nearly doused my love of cycling for good, cost a thousand bucks or more, each! The Priority Bicycle I've been gleeful on is just $429.
I'm not going to "review the bike" here, share all the features and specs and tech, that's the whole point. I don't know what they are and I don't care. I just know that I can open the garage door, hop on my bike and get away from it all for as long or as short as I like. Just like when I was a kid.
https://youtu.be/89qaKRbWuO0
(Note: I always wear a helmet, I just skipped it for this tiny test ride down my block)
