rare pattern thoughts in a blog

Today, finally, after saving many nickels and dimes, I bought a Rans Stratus XP. I don't actually have it in hand as it is being configured with a rack, fenders, a small mirror and some different tires. I'll pick it up next Saturday, assuming I can get a roof rack for my car and an appropriately long bike rack for the roof by then.

I was going to get it back in the Spring, but, well, that didn't quite work out. I test rode a lot of recumbents up in Ft. Collins at Spring Creek Recumbents (which is pretty much the only recumbent bicycle shop in the entire [much] greater Denver area) back then and, honestly, did not much care for the short-wheelbase 'bents that are so popular in the Boulder area. I didn't like the high-bracket position of the pedals, and the steering felt twitchy to me. Maybe I could have gotten used to that, but the whole cycling position did not feel comfortable for me – nothing like the Rans, anyway.

Now I can hardly wait to pick it up. This recumbent will be a weekend enjoyment for me, and once I'm back into shape, a commuting bike as well. And maybe I'll finally lose some weight.

So I'm thinking about getting a recumbent bicycle for sports touring and some commuting to the office. My regular mountain bike is just a bit hard on my back and wrists, so part of my motivation is looking for comfort. But I also want something that I can use for longer rides. And, of course, this being Boulder, I don't want a tank -- I'll be climbing hills and riding some dirt and gravel trails.

Any buying advice?

Any suggestions where I can go in the Boulder area to test-ride some of them, maybe buy one?