A quick review of the Schwinn Sierra 2 comfort bike

A bit under two-months-ago, after several years of due consideration and idle promises, I finally went out and bought a decent bicycle from a decent local bicycle shop.  My bodyweight had been creeping up again so I figured I had no choice but to further increase my physical activity (and to return to strictly regulating the quality and quantity of my grazing).

With the seven-speed twist-grip shifting, along with fore and aft handgrip braking, this fenderless, thick-tire, entry-level bicycle is more than adequate for my daily (or nearly so) physical fitness use.   This bike should give more years of service than I have life left to live.  Let me be clear about one thing; I bought this bicycle for mercenary reasons; I am not a delusional bicycle fan-boy on an imaginary “Tour de France.”  Although it was a traditional childhood rite of passage, I disliked riding bicycles over a half century ago and nothing has changed my mind since then.  There is not one lick of nostalgia anywhere in my sixty-two-year-old-soul for bicycling.  I am doing it for my physical health, not my mental health. 

At the big retail stores, I found that this same bicycle (make and model) is rarely completely or properly assembled, but it is around $50 cheaper than it is from most typical local bicycle shops.  A couple of bicycle shops near me offer “tune-ups” for bicycles purchased from big box stores; this service ranges from $40 - $80, so I figured I was time and money ahead by staying with a bike shop.

The only safety gear I allow myself is a blaze orange hunting vest for visibility and sunglasses with a rearview mirror.