April 7, 2012
I went to a couple of bike shops. I needed a touring bike. Touring bikes are made to travel long distances, and they can handle heavy loads. Also, they can be accessorized with a back rack and front rack, which we needed to carry all our equipment.
After visiting a few bike shops, I learned three important things. Biking is an expensive sport. Bike stores don't tend to have touring bikes. I needed to go elsehwere. The shop employees kept recommending the
Surly Long Haul , but hat thing was still over a thousand dollars.
On a budget, I decided to forget about the bike shops and I turned to the internet. Craigslit is a decent source. It took many days searching the used bike ads, and I eventually found something that could work. I arranged to meet the seller of a Trek 620.
The bike seemed well maintained. The owner was friendly, and he seemed extremely knowledgeable about bikes and about bike touring. I bought the bike.

That was the end of step 1.
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Road Bike Fitting see
Craigslist's bikes