Electra does have fenders, and comes with a chain guard, which I like. I can also get a basket. More to the point, fewer than 50 gears, which was what was freaking me out about most of the bikes at the store I was at.

(I walked in to this Bike-o-Rama store and was like, "I want a simple bike." The dude showed me a kids' 1-speed bike, and then a pair of $800 European touring bikes, and I was like, Honey, you are not understanding what I mean by "simple." The other guy at the annex store, he got it.)

I think Trekbikes does have some similar, although the hybrids don't (at a glance) look like they're really suited to sitting upright in the same way. The comfort bikes and cruisers are closer, but I'd need to "try them on" to be sure. And you're right, the prices are comparable.

I take public transit to commute, these days, but I'd be happy to run errands/groceries on a bike rather than a car, except in January. Conveniently, there is a bike path not 100 yards from my house, that stretches all the way out to my mother's town in one direction and toward Theo's house in the other. Can you tell I live in Massachusetts?

The other thing I liked about the Electra (but not in a "that is what sold me" way, just a dorky way) is that they have that thing from tricycles of old, where if you backpedal, it acts as a coaster brake. I try to do that every time I am on a bike, and it never works on these newfangled contraptions.

Competing with House are the premiere of My Name is Earl, which I think will be funny, and the possibly silly second episode of Supernatural, which reruns on Sunday anyway. So, yeah. I'm watching House.

Thanks, Zenkitty.

I completely forgot that I have a class starting tonight, so no House or Bones for me. But I suppose I should get used to it, because the class is going to be every Tuesday evening for about 9 months, and while I have a VCR, it is eeevil and so setting it to tape is pretty darn close to pointless.

Gears are your friends. No, seriously. They're very helpful.

I haven't been on a bike with coaster brakes for years, but I'll say that having both front and rear brakes is a good option for safety reasons. And you can usually buy and install a kickstand if the bike doesn't come with one...

I need to put a basket on my bike. I can bike to work once the weather cools off a bit (and the hurricane bands cease), but I don't want to carry my laptop in a backpack. Need a big basket. Grocery size even. I'm tired of driving and most everything I need is in bike distance.

My Name is Earl

Oh, thanks for the reminder. I was watching Supernatural, but I can catch the rerun. I'm taping Bones and House.

I watched Gilmore Girls.

I have no issue calling anyone a halfwit that I think is one

'Tis true! She happily calls idiot bus drivers jackhole! SO FUNNY. (Though not the circumstances necessitating it.)

My dad bought a used primo racing/street bike for $1200 about 10 plus years ago. The schwinns that are his standard stock ran around $600 new back when I last checked. Mind you, he has four or five bikes in rotation and used to be a triathlete. And the bikes are his primary means of getting to work when the weather holds (9 miles away.) He has so many from a combination of hating to be late because goatheads got both tires by the time he hit the end of the street (and changing them is a time consuming PIA) and his latent packrat tendencies which means he saves parts from accidents (5 at last count...) and reassembles new bikes from them .

So... probably worth it, but invest in extra tubes, patch kits and familiarize yourself with changing tubes and checking for stickeries.

I watched NCIS. Because I need continuity. But I taped Bones. Watching House. I'm so screwed when TAR starts up.

I reclaimed a voodoo doll bought at a creepy non-obviously touristy place in New Orleans today. It was something my officemate left that I'd given (I'm glad he took the flyswatter and magic eight ball, though it makes my job harder.) It depressed me on so many levels.

Those fuckwits at the local FOX station started a mandatory drill sequence with one minute of House left! Geez, people, get with your own. fucking. program!