Read what they have written and  then vote for your favorite to win! The contest will go from now through May 1st and the lucky winner will be announced on May 2nd!

Suzi Montgomery:

Ahhh! Should I win this bike I will cha(i)nge lives! Let me explain: Riding this cocoa-butter beauty, and in the latest eye-catching at-tire, I will shift the car dominant paradigm tu-be a Cycle Style culture. Now, as your new spoke-swoman, and on this unique seven-gear-high-flier, I will un-seat my fellow biking ladies as I SEND up steep mountains of hills, rim-embering , that when I t-i-r-e, I simply shift down, smile, find some Nirve, saddle up and crankset that mother of a hill. Power, my new friend, and freedom, my lover rim-ind me of something the French always say: dé-railleur;de-better. Excuse my hub-ris, I may sound a little over ex/tube/rant, but I think it’s a fork-gone conclusion: THIS bicyclette belongs to me!

Isela:

I would like to win this bike to gift it to my Mom. She has never had a bike. She grew up in Mexico, in very poor conditions and bikes were not a priority as putting food on the table was always first. Eventually, she emigrated to the US, shortly after she brought me. Each time she visits me in UT, she rides my bike and loves it. If she had one here, we could go on Mom & Daughter dates around the town.

Anna Macedo:

I’m a breast cancer survivor, now on follow-up treatment. Before I was diagnosed I had planned to buy one of your beautifully decorated bikes for myself. But now, almost two years and many medical bills later, I can no longer afford a bike. If I’m the lucky winner I’ll be proud of my inspiring new ride, and it will be a big part of my healthy new lifestyle.

Disclaimer: Votes are logged and more than 25 votes from the same IP address will be adjusted down.  However, you may vote once every 24 hours and that will be okay.

A big thank you to all those who particpated in this contest–I wish I could have given everyone a prize of some kind! Thanks to all the readers who voted! As of May 2nd, the contest is now over and Anna Macedo is the winner of the Nirve Starliner. Congratulations, Anna!

Want your own Nirve Starliner? Check out Nirve’s website and find a dealer near you!

Light & Fast

I had a chance to demo Specialized’s S-Works Era, a cross-country bike which is light and fast and gives confidence to riders whether going up or down the hills.  It’s a fantastic bike for the woman who wants to get out on her favorite trails and yet it would be the bike of choice for those who race. To start with, the carbon frame is lighter than their men’s bike frame of a similar size. Simply put, the tubing is a bit thinner and the carbon lay-up is more compliant for lighter riders on the Era than the Epic. Even if men may be the same height as a woman, he is on average heavier. It stands to reason that a lighter, less muscled woman would be at a disadvantage with a bike of the same weight. I took the Era through the paces: racing it down a fairly straight bike path, I found it to be racy and quick. I like “fast” and it did not disappoint. Then I took it up the switchback trails on a steep hill. Its lightness was really an advantage here as I found myself easily climbing. Because I am not an expert mountain biker, there are times a hill has conquered me rather than vice-versa.  I have loved my Trek mountain bike, but the Era felt nearly 10 lbs. lighter. I think I would have done better if I had ridden the Era last summer up the aptly named “Puke Hill.”

The Fit

A bike with good frame geometry that is made to fit means good bye to back and neck pain. As you roll over rocks, roots, and up and over bumps in the trail, you want a bike that stays comfortable.  The Era offers not only a good geometric fit, for the average proportioned woman like me, but also a suspension that can be dialed in to adjust for my specific weight. The Era has a “performance” geometry which helps the rider to get into an aggressive position for climbing–which you will feel when you ride straight up a slope.

The Epic and Era have different tuned suspensions; with the Era being well tuned for lighter-weight riders.  The Era’s front fork has an adjustable negative spring that you can tune for your appropriate rider weight and the shock has a lighter platform and the full-firm (hard-tail) setting would be different for a lighter-weight rider. The shock can also be adjusted to a “Trail Tune” setting, allowing it to self-adjust to differing terrain.

Have you ever hit a large bump or other obstacle had had your chain slap the frame below it? That’s called “chain slap” and most riders justifiably hate that because it nicks your frame. The Era features SRAM’s rear derailleur that holds the chain tight and still as you hit those obstacles. There are more thoughtful details that Specialized has put into the engineering and design of the Era. If you wish for more technical details about the Era, and/or learn about  its FlowControl Mini Brain shock, visit the website here. I am won’t pretend to be technically savvy, when I’m not. But I can tell you about the ride, how the Era inspires confidence on the trail, how it is an absolute joy to ride and will have you wanting to ride longer and more often.

By Tara R. McKee

One of the fashion capitals of Europe is Milan, a.k.a. Milano, which is the name the Bianchi company has given its series of city bikes. The Bianchi Milano Citta bike is our bike of the month for March. With the Milano Citta (Ladies’ model), you’ll have 8-gears for getting around town with ease, a rear rack for carrying your bags, and a step-through frame that will allow you to wear your favorite  skirts with ease. The whole Milano line gives riders an upright comfortable position so you can enjoy the ride and take in the sights.

Bianchi bikes have been around a long time. A very young Eduardo Bianchi opened up a bicycle repair shop in 1885, and right away began tinkering with the bike designs of the time. He made so many innovations with bicycle designs that he is to bicycles, what Henry Ford is to cars. He was one of the first to introduce the “safety bicycle,” so called because the wheels were the same size and it was closer to the ground. He also introduced the first bicycle with pneumatic tires and made many other innovations.

The crest of each Bianchi shows the crown of Queen Margherita.

The Story of the First Bicycle Designed for Women

In 1895, he developed the very first bicycle specifically designed for women and he presented it to Queen Margherita of Italy. The bicycle was unpainted, and when the queen asked why, he told her it was because he wanted to see the color of her eyes first and paint the bicycle to match. The color developed was a greenish blue, and was called “celeste” (pronounced in Italian che-les-te) and became the signature color for Bianchi. If you look close, on the crest design of a Bianchi bike, you can see the Queen’s crown, the royal endorsement of the queen. Incidentally, it was this same queen, Margherita, who started a craze for pizza in Italy, that later made its way over to America. So take your Bianchi bike over to your pizzeria, order a Margherita pizza and give a toast to Queen Margherita who knew a good thing when she saw it! (And I think all pizzerias, in memory of the queen, ought to give all Bianchi cyclists a 10% discount on pizzas!)

Thank you to Cyclesmith of Salt Lake City for making this bike avaliable.

The oh, so fabulous Hello Kitty!

By Jessie Anne Keller

The minute I saw this bike I knew it had to be the February bike of the month because I fell in love instantly! Nirve really hit the mark on this one, it is simply perfect!

The Hello Kitty details are beautiful, including the Hello Kitty tire tread. The bright pink is just girly enough, but still so pleasing to the eye. I think that this bike appeals to teens as well as adult women. It is a great around town bike and because of the chain guard you can even rock it with a skirt, not to mention it is easy to ride.

Nirve introduced this bike a couple of years ago and it is easy to see why it became an instant classic. You are sure to catch the eye of onlookers as you roll down the street on this beauty!  Every girl needs one of these in their fleet of bikes. And, perhaps the best part, it’s only around $400 making it a very affordable bicycle.

Thanks to Canyon Bicycles for the use of this fabulous bike

Buying your first new bicycle doesn’t have to be expensive.  Specialized has a great little “hardtail” mountain bike priced at an entry-level price named “Myka.” The 2010 Myka has 21-gears, and a lightweight aluminum frame (and a lifetime warranty on the frame). If you are a road cyclist, put those skinny tires away for the winter and take this bike out. Its wider, knobby tires are much better suited for the winter roads. Come spring time, you can enjoy the dirt roads and mountain trails and may find yourself really loving cycling off road! The Myka is expressly designed for women with women’s specific geometry, a lower stand-over heighth, optimal seat and headtube angles and a women’s XC saddle for better pedaling efficiency and fit. It also features splashes of pink in the paint design. It is priced at $389.  This would be a great Christmas present.

Note to Want-t0-be-Winter Commuters: This can be your winter commuting bike with the addition of fenders on both tires to keep the slush and snow off of you, front and rear lights for better visibility and if desired, a rear rack to keep some of your stuff on. You may also want to lower the tire pressure to give you better traction on slippery roads.

This very bicycle is available at Bingham Cyclery. The Myka HT is also available at your local bicycle shop that features the Specialized lineup of bikes.

All surfaces are not created equally. And when the pavement turns to dirt the EVA 3.0 will put a smile on your face!

By Jessie Anne Keller

Trails, paths, roads, driveways, grassy fields, pebbly beaches, sidewalks…do you get the picture? This bike can take you wherever you want to go and do it with ease.

Raleigh’s Eva 3.0 packs major fun and adventure in an awesome package. The aluminum frame is strong and light, while the front suspension provides both comfort and control when the ride gets rough. A Shimano 21-speed drivetrain, Shimano shifters and reliable linear-pull brakes make this bike easy to handle whether you’re cruising down the road or bounding up a trail.

Thank you to Bountiful Bicycle Center for allowing us to use the Eva 3.0 for this photo.

This bicycle is perfect for urban riding.

By Jessie Anne Keller

This bike can talk! I know it sounds crazy but it says,”hop on! Let’s go for a spin!”  And why wouldn’t you? It is a gorgeous bicycle!  The Live makes everything around it look better and it rides oh so smooth. The chain guard allows you  to  wear any fashionable clothes you want, including a skirt or a wide leg pant. A functional, sleek stunner, not unlike it’s rider.   A flat front basket can hold up to 40 lbs. and no, it is not made for your child, just in case you were wondering. It would be great for college textbooks, flowers or groceries however.  Step out and LIVE!

(Available at Bingham Cyclery)

Electra-Hawaii in Green

By Jessie Anne Keller

Once upon a time, when we were little girls, we rode our bicycles. We had our friends to ride with, and enjoyed the freedom of going somewhere new and adventurous. We loved the feeling of independence that it gave us and yes, even then, we thought about style—we may have wished for or truly enjoyed a bicycle that was pleasing to the eye, a bicycle with a basket, and perhaps handlebar streamers or a bell.  Although you are grown up, you can still enjoy the pleasures of that ideal. This bike will inspire you to ride. With its SHIMANO NEXUS 3-SPEED internal gears, a leisurely ride on the bike path or through the park or a purposeful trip to the market is a breeze. This bike will let you ride your everyday stresses into the pavement and leave them behind.