When I moved to DC a couple of years ago, I needed a bike. I had two road bikes but those weren’t suitable for 1) DC potholes, 2) DC theft.
My bike-loving husband (GVP) looked on Craigslist and an hour later, a hybrid Fuji was mine!
Cue that Fuji’s brake lines freezing in the winter thanks to poor design. I kept it and said I was “going to do some research” before I bought the replacement.
“Here are some articles I found,” GVP said. I didn’t read them.
Then, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! It is awesome. We love it. We even love our increased commute time, mainly because 13 of 15 miles are on bike trails.
Our first commute was a little…rough. 15 minutes in I got a flat. Unfortunately it wasn’t just a tube problem (I had a spare); there was a hole in the tire. Luckily I had an emergency $20. We folded it length-wise and placed it inside the tire. (When folded dollar bills are strong enough to prevent the tube from squeezing through a small hole.)
I arrived at work no problem.
I came out of work. Problem. My back tire was flat! I have had multiple flats in the same day, but always on the same wheel. Not today. No more spares either. I walked to REI and finally read GVP’s articles while I waited for him to join me. I would need a new bike before winter anyways so why not just buy one that day and forget the Fuji and its flats.
All I wanted was a women’s specific touring bike. I found some, mostly in Europe. A custom built bike wasn’t in my budget. I found several “unisex” bikes but, no thanks. (I hate to break it to other female cyclists, unisex bikes are bullshit. Bikes made specifically for women cater to measurements unisex bikes do not, like the width of our shoulders and the width of the handlebars.)
I gave up and bought an REI brand bike that I thought fit.
It didn’t. Two weeks later my back was aching and my legs felt like they were overextending no matter how low the seat post was. I returned the bike.
“Let’s go look at other bikes,” my husband said.
My mind became set on a Surly. No, they’re not women’s specific but I had given up on that. Getting a Surly made sense to me. My husband has one. My brother has one. My dad has one. Why not?
I called some local shops. I felt like Goldilocks; in-stock Surlys were either miniscule or gigantic (for me). So we went over to the nearest bike shop. No Surlys.
“Why don’t you test ride that one?” 
my husband asked as he pointed out a Kona Sutra.
I did. It seemed to fit. We went home. We came back. I bought it! The shop was even willing to trade the Brooks saddle for a women’s Brooks. WIN!
And with, basically no research done on my part, I have a new bike!
Because even a bike with two flats can lead you to a new love, that’s why I love riding my bike.
Breakaway Bicycle 