I bought a bike yesterday evening at a shop next to my office and rode it home. It's not a racer, nor a mountain bike but rather something called a "commuter" or a "city" bike. What that means is up for debate but generally I'd say that comfort trumps speed. What struck me while bike shopping was the technological advances of the past decade that lead to a smooth, quiet, grease-free ride.
The oily chain has been replaced with a smooth, dry, carbon fiber belt with rounded teeth that offers barely a whisper - even at top speed. You can ride with pants, as I did last night, and not worry about your pant leg being snagged or sullied.
In concert with the move away from a metal chain, the engineers encased the rear gears inside the hub, keeping the elements away. This bike is like a ninja, you pedal and hear nothing at all except the tires whirring against the road. The disk brakes are just as silent, no rubber squeals when applying the brakes. It looks like a single speed fixed gear bike but has eight gears operated by a small lever on the handlebars.
I took it for a lunch time test ride and immediately fell in love. That evening I was flying home along the bike paths between Queens and Brooklyn, scarf flapping in the breeze. It's a quick 8 mile ride that took about 40 minutes. A bit cold to do every day in March but when spring arrives I will probably ride to work often.
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