REI Transfer - competition?

Paul M. Hobson

JG wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a commuter bike for my son as he is off to
> college. The REI Transfer looks like a knock-out. It's an upright
> commuting bike with Shimano seven speed internal gears, 26' tires, v-
> brakes, all fairly hassle-free, _and_ it's sold with a rack, shimano
> dynamo front hub, fenders, and kickstand for $600. What other models
> should I be looking at?

I think the bike is fine.

Since I don't know where he'll be, I'll say to get this for the frame
and front wheel:
http://www.onguardlock.com/lockview...hain&model=5016

and this for the rear wheel:
http://www.onguardlock.com/lockview...ck&model=5013TC

Though in Atlanta, I've had no issues using this combo:
http://www.onguardlock.com/lockview...ck&model=5015TC

--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

catzz66

JG wrote:
> If we didn't all know Jobst is a generous, big-hearted bicycle
> advocate, I'd venture that someone is a little miffed that someone
> else actually bothered to calculate cable and stretch and pad
> compression... (I'm not sure why as I still have no !@#$ing idea what
> those two clowns were arguing about, and it's not like Beam bothered
> to try either...)
>
> Thanks for all the parenting advice. I grew up in an urban college
> city, and never lost a bike, so I understand what's involved. I
> probably mislead a bit with my post. My son has never had a bike - we
> live in a hilly and traffic heavy suburb, and it wasn't his thing.
> But he recently mentioned it, said he thought he knew from riding
> friend's bikes. I let him try my big Ritchey, and he could start up
> and stay upright, but couldn't turn or shift with any confidence. A
> relaxed posture and internal gears would seem to meet his needs at the
> moment.
>
> With the REI discount, the Transfer is a very attractive product. I'm
> not that confident I could find a used bike with internal gears in
> good shape without hidden problems. Say I decided it has to have new
> wheels, or fenders, or a rack - the price could escalate quickly...
>
> Now to go deal with the pool boy. You'd think a Stanford graduate
> would know how to keep the 23K plumbing fixtures clean...
>
> JG
>
It's certainly not a crime to want to do something nice for your college
student. I was lucky enough to have two hard working kids who earned
what they could with their summer jobs. I helped them with their
undergrad costs and anything else I could afford to do when I thought it
was appropriate. If someone had criticized me for any of that, I would
have told them it was none of their business and gone on with it. That
being said, I always bought used bikes that ran well but were not too
nice looking, because they were simply not as tempting to steal.

Camilo

On Jun 9, 5:40 am, jobst.bra...@stanfordalumni.org wrote:
> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
> >>> I'm looking to buy a commuter bike for my son as he is off to
> >>> college. The REI Transfer looks like a knock-out. It's an
> >>> upright commuting bike with Shimano seven speed internal gears,
> >>> 26' tires, v- brakes, all fairly hassle-free, _and_ it's sold with
> >>> a rack, Shimano dynamo front hub, fenders, and kickstand for $600.
> >>> What other models should I be looking at?
> >> Going to college? I suspect he should be essentially an adult by
> >> now and ridden many miles. If he hasn't, that's where the choice
> >> of bicycle got lost. Besides, if he hasn't ridden yet, commuting
> >> to class will be only that so get a one speed balloon tired bicycle
> >> from Goodwill and let him pay for it.
> >> By the time most young men get to high school, they either know
> >> what sort of bicycle they want to ride or they don't want to ride.
> >> How long are you going to hold his hand, or better yet, let his
> >> mother do so? What did he do for summer work, where a young people
> >> earn their own money for such stuff?
> >> I guess mom takes him to Nordstrom's or Neiman Marcus to oversee
> >> his wardrobe. What kind of BMW did he get for high school
> >> graduation? "Poor" kid!
> > What was that all about? A guy wants to buy a bike for his kid
> > who's off to college. Could be that he's going to a school that's
> > bicycle-friendly and car-hostile. Yes, they do exist. Could be
> > that he's told his kid they can't afford a car for him, that with
> > college costing what it does, the deal is that mom & dad pay for
> > college but no car... he's going to make do with a bike. Whatever
> > the case, it's a pretty innocent-looking post, certainly nothing
> > indicative of everything that's wrong with our society.
> > We get people like this in our shop all the time. They're looking
> > for something practical and a shop that's going to take care of
> > things if something goes wrong.
>
> You might get a better understanding from:
>
> http://psychologytoday.com/articles...112-000010.html
>
> read all 8 parts and I think you'll recognize the behavior.
>
> Just because this syndrome is so prevalent, doesn't make it a good
> mode of social conduct.
>
> Jobst Brandt

Jobst - I didn't carefully read the entire site, but scanned parts of
it. I don't at all disagree that kids' lives are too controlled and
protected. Mea Culpa. I have two daughters, one a late teen, the
other in college. Both are great kids. Like my parents before me, I
don't think they had it as tough as me, I don't think they are as self
reliant as I was, etc. On the other hand, both are far more
successful academically than I was - one at an elite level, one at a
very good level for a college-bound kid. Both are more ethical than I
was at that age, both have a better wariness of drugs and sex than I
had. All in all I'm happy and proud of them. Do I think they are
perfect? No. Do I think their lives were too organized when they were
young? Yes. Have I steered them towards activities more than my
parents did - both in terms of the activities themselves and the
gear? Yes. But that's because we live in a social situation and a
physical location that precludes a lot of the spontaneous, self-
directed activities I enjoyed as a kid in the 50s and 60s. It ain't
the time or place I grew up in.

All that said, I just can't see anything wrong with encouraging a
college-bound kid to ride a bike at school, and helping him buy it.
That's not how I was treated, but it's far beyond being overly
controlling and protective. On the other hand, about that time in a
kid's life, it would be the last piece of gear I bought for him/her -
after that, either they want it enough to spend their own time and
money on, or they don't.

Tom Kunich

"JG" <jchg@cox.net> wrote in message
news:f95ea812-cba3-4332-af68-f826dd6049f3@f24g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
> But he recently mentioned it, said he thought he knew from riding
> friend's bikes. I let him try my big Ritchey, and he could start up
> and stay upright, but couldn't turn or shift with any confidence. A
> relaxed posture and internal gears would seem to meet his needs at the
> moment.

I would suggest that perhaps your son will graduate to faster bicycles
rather rapidly if he finds them interesting. In which case internal gearing
bike wouldn't last long at all.

And he might find that he detests riding bicycles to class in which case
you'd end up wasting your money on a new bike.

The bottom line is still finding a good used bike in his size.

John Forrest Tomlinson

On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:21:51 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote:

>The school was overwhelmed with students bicycling to school, as soon as
>it opened (it's been open for only three years). They vastly
>underestimated the number of students that would be permitted to bicycle
>to school, and rushed to build a second secure bicycle parking area. So
>there is hope for the world.

Cool.

Michael Press

In article
<f95ea812-cba3-4332-af68-f826dd6049f3@f24g2000prh.googlegroups.com>,
JG <jchg@cox.net> wrote:

> Now to go deal with the pool boy. You'd think a Stanford graduate
> would know how to keep the 23K plumbing fixtures clean...



--
Michael Press

Tom Kunich

<jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org> wrote in message
news:484dd0e0$0$17205$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
> "Don't question authority!", parental, local and federal government.
> The basis for questioning authority was erased beginning in early
> youth.

And we wonder why there are so many fascist/Socialist youths.

Ryan Cousineau

In article <484d32dd$0$17160$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org wrote:

> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>
> >>> I'm looking to buy a commuter bike for my son as he is off to
> >>> college.

> >> Going to college? I suspect he should be essentially an adult by
> >> now and ridden many miles. If he hasn't, that's where the choice
> >> of bicycle got lost. Besides, if he hasn't ridden yet, commuting
> >> to class will be only that so get a one speed balloon tired bicycle
> >> from Goodwill and let him pay for it.

> >> I guess mom takes him to Nordstrom's or Neiman Marcus to oversee
> >> his wardrobe. What kind of BMW did he get for high school
> >> graduation? "Poor" kid!
>
> > What was that all about?

> You might get a better understanding from:
>
> http://psychologytoday.com/articles...112-000010.html

> Just because this syndrome is so prevalent, doesn't make it a good
> mode of social conduct.
>
> Jobst Brandt

I bought a bike at a garage sale for my pre-school-aged niece. Too much?
Time to cut the strings?

I'm totally willing to believe that some parents want to coddle their
kids too much and that has a detrimental effect on kids.

I'm totally unwilling to believe that a middle-class family buying a
bike, even a nice one, for their college-age kid, has anything to
explain.

However, the revelation that Jobst is now apparently advocating Randian
Parenting is . . . awesome! In several senses of the word.

<http://obsequiosity.home.mchsi.com/philosophy/tots.html>

Share & Enjoy,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Tom Kunich

"Ryan Cousineau" <rcousine@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:rcousine-1E9654.19281609062008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...
>
> However, the revelation that Jobst is now apparently advocating Randian
> Parenting is . . . awesome! In several senses of the word.

Jobst has a lot of value to add. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of
low value as well. Don't we all?

JG

I took a look at craigslist on y'all's advice. You can buy some nice
bikes for astonishingly small prices. But, as soon as you want
something specific, the walls close in. An Inter-7 and a Dynamo hub
as components go for over $200. Building up wheels and adding a
shifter, and you are over half the price of the Transfer. I also
checked constant dollars. When I bought my first ten speed, the
Transfer was equivalent to $150, and that's before the REI dividend.
OTOH Performance had some nice, light derailleur bikes for less.

Maybe the kid's going to have to learn how to take care of a
derailleur...
JG

Tom Kunich

"JG" <jchg@cox.net> wrote in message
news:90298662-d3cc-4d73-8473-8138d853a464@i36g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>I took a look at craigslist on y'all's advice. You can buy some nice
> bikes for astonishingly small prices. But, as soon as you want
> something specific, the walls close in. An Inter-7 and a Dynamo hub
> as components go for over $200. Building up wheels and adding a
> shifter, and you are over half the price of the Transfer. I also
> checked constant dollars. When I bought my first ten speed, the
> Transfer was equivalent to $150, and that's before the REI dividend.
> OTOH Performance had some nice, light derailleur bikes for less.
>
> Maybe the kid's going to have to learn how to take care of a
> derailleur...

After all, they aren't that complicated.

Kerry Montgomery

"JG" <jchg@cox.net> wrote in message
news:90298662-d3cc-4d73-8473-8138d853a464@i36g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>I took a look at craigslist on y'all's advice. You can buy some nice
> bikes for astonishingly small prices. But, as soon as you want
> something specific, the walls close in. An Inter-7 and a Dynamo hub
> as components go for over $200. Building up wheels and adding a
> shifter, and you are over half the price of the Transfer. I also
> checked constant dollars. When I bought my first ten speed, the
> Transfer was equivalent to $150, and that's before the REI dividend.
> OTOH Performance had some nice, light derailleur bikes for less.
>
> Maybe the kid's going to have to learn how to take care of a
> derailleur...
> JG

If you have a little time, you may still find what you want on craigslist. I
bought a Raleigh 7 speed (Shimano Nexus hub) for $100 last year. If I were
riding to classes on campus, I'd prefer a derailleur bike, though.
Kerry

Ed Pirrero

On Jun 9, 9:44 pm, "Kerry Montgomery" <kamon...@teleport.com> wrote:
> "JG" <j...@cox.net> wrote in message
>
> news:90298662-d3cc-4d73-8473-8138d853a464@i36g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
> >I took a look at craigslist on y'all's advice. You can buy some nice
> > bikes for astonishingly small prices. But, as soon as you want
> > something specific, the walls close in. An Inter-7 and a Dynamo hub
> > as components go for over $200. Building up wheels and adding a
> > shifter, and you are over half the price of the Transfer. I also
> > checked constant dollars. When I bought my first ten speed, the
> > Transfer was equivalent to $150, and that's before the REI dividend.
> > OTOH Performance had some nice, light derailleur bikes for less.
>
> > Maybe the kid's going to have to learn how to take care of a
> > derailleur...
> > JG
>
> If you have a little time, you may still find what you want on craigslist. I
> bought a Raleigh 7 speed (Shimano Nexus hub) for $100 last year. If I were
> riding to classes on campus, I'd prefer a derailleur bike, though.
> Kerry

I can't remember my college commuter - I think it might have been s
Sears three-speed. I do remember using some latex house paint on it
to make it look very beaterish.

The three-speed hub did not last long, to be sure. Couldn't have been
more than two or three months. It was a long time ago...

A bike with a derailleur is a good choice. I saw some two-decade-old
steel-framed mountain bikes down at one of our LBS' last week for
under $100. One was pretty nice. And the other was very nice, so I
bought it. Nice steel Trek (made in USA) Singletrack. I think it
will make the basis for a fine hardtail trail bike, once the awful
center-pull cantis are consigned to the trash and decent Vs are
installed, and I lay my hands on an appropriate suspension fork.

Now, all that is a bit beyond what JG wanted, except the cheap,
reliable starting material. And at that price, if a thief makes off
with it, it's not a crying shame. A shame, but not one to cry
over.

E.P.

Ryan Cousineau

In article <xYOdnWHhHanKcNDVnZ2dnUVZ_ozinZ2d@earthlink.com>,
"Tom Kunich" <cyclintom@yahoo. com> wrote:

> "Ryan Cousineau" <rcousine@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:rcousine-1E9654.19281609062008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...
> >
> > However, the revelation that Jobst is now apparently advocating Randian
> > Parenting is . . . awesome! In several senses of the word.
>
> Jobst has a lot of value to add. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of
> low value as well. Don't we all?

Tom, I think Jobst is one of the most valuable contributors to this
group. Here's what I wrote, rather fawningly, on that subject in 2003:

<http://groups.google.com/group/rec....hread/thread/23
3bc39e12f65d9/4655815a551cda04?lnk=gst&q=jobst+cousineau+rather#4655815a5
51cda04>

I stand by every word, and hope that he will continue to post here as
long as he is able.

However, every time he posts something as silly as he did up-thread, I
will make fun of it. The random BMW-purchasing accusations (would it be
okay if it was used? Would it be bad again if it was an E24 M6? Are
Porsches okay?) were just plain cute. The chance to use the Ayn Rand
School for Tots reference from The Simpsons meant there was no way I
wasn't going to respond.

I won't catalog my own (numerous) shames in this and other newsgroups.
It can be a fun game in which everyone can play along,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."