Bicycle Regret: Can We Turn Back Time?

I am currently experiencing a bit of bicycle regret or remorse, and it hasn't been pleasant. Perhaps regret is the wrong way to word it because, as I've stated in the past, I truly believe that the only way to know what works for us as bicyclists is to try them out for a time. This can definitely be a very un-cost efficient way of doing things, but I know for me it is the only way I can know what works for me. During this past summer, I said goodbye to Stuart, my Electra Daisy bicycle.

It was quite traumatic for me. Typically, I don't attach so entirely to inanimate objects, but Stuart was special. Stuart was fun to ride, painted in the most fun colors, and best of all, he was the best gift I'd ever received. I literally cried the day I sold him. I felt sick, and I didn't want him to go away, but I believed it was all for the greater good. I've talked many times about the difficulty of the location of our home and how having a cruiser bicycle is impractical. I thought at the time that a higher end city bicycle was the answer. I couldn't see myself on any style of drop bar bike and thought that selling Stuart was all for the best. Even after purchasing and riding my Pashley Princess Sovereign, I knew it was the answer for my long distance rides. As much as I wanted her to be the ride, it just wasn't in the cards.

After all was said and done, I found a great road ride that didn't hurt me and that allowed me to go the distances I often need and/or want to travel via bicycle: the Hillborne (aka Tony Stark). After realizing that I could indeed ride such a bike, I wasn't entirely certain what I needed as the alternate short-ride bike... and, I started missing Stuart. Sure, he was a slow bicycle, and heavy, but that was part of his magnificence. He was steady and true, and I literally rode him all over the place.

So, now that I've discovered that it is possible for me to have a touring/road bike that I love and that will take me on longer distances, I can't stop thinking about my cruiser. I currently have Annabel Lee, a Raleigh Lady Sports, but she's just not the same as Stuart. She is much lighter and livelier, but it feels like a 3-speed road bicycle to me when I ride her. The position is more leaned forward, which assists with saddle/grip/pedal weight distribution, and this creates a more sporty feel. It's not that I dislike her by any stretch, but it doesn't have the same relaxed feel of my old Stuart.

Now, I find myself wanting to turn back time and kind of replace Stuart with another Electra cruiser. Is that wrong? In some ways, I feel as though I've come full circle and realized many things about myself and my bike needs and wants. At other times I can't help but think I'm completely insane to attempt to recreate the feeling of a past bicycle. At the moment, I'm debating between two different models. While I could get the Electra Daisy again and have "Stuart the 2nd," it almost feels blasphemous. So, I have two other options that are the same geometry, with different paint jobs. The first possibility I'm considering is the Electra Om.

*Photo from Derby Bicycle online

I love the girly colors of it, plus it is "Om" themed, which is something that I find enjoyable. Everyone needs a little peace and serenity in their lives after all, right? It also has a handlebar flower included with the bike. The picture truly doesn't do this bicycle justice. It is fun, it is pretty, and it makes me happy just looking at it. I do have a front basket I could add to this bicycle as well, so I wouldn't necessarily have to purchase one. The other model I am presently considering is the Electra Surf. 

*Photo from Derby Bicycle online

What do I love about this one? I love the 80s flash back as far as the color scheme is concerned. I really like the white tires, and it's not quite as girly as the Om (which is both a plus and minus, depending on my mood). As an added bonus, it has a front rack, so it would be one less accessory to want to add on. However, I've read that this particular front rack is highly unstable and has had many recalls. This model is also no longer being manufactured by Electra, so one would be hard pressed to find others of this kind wandering about town.

While I don't know which model to purchase, I am about 99% sure that I will indeed purchase an Electra cruiser again at some point in the very near future. Maybe I can't exactly turn back time, but I can take what I've learned and attempt to get back the bike that worked well for me and that I always enjoyed. Is it more wasteful than I would've preferred to be, definitely. But, as my mother always points out to me, I've never been one to learn the easy way, and sometimes the hard road helps me learn what works best.

Annabel Lee

It took me several days, a couple of rides, and some serious pondering, but I have named the lovely Raleigh Lady Sports. Her name is Annabel Lee.

Annabel Lee at the market

For anyone familiar with Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee, you may think that I am jinxing myself with naming her as such, but I think it is one of my top three favorites by Poe, and beyond it being a favorite, who doesn't enjoy a good tragic love story? For any unfamiliar with the tale, here it is for your reading pleasure.


It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea. 

- Edgar Allan Poe

As a little piece of personal trivia on this specific Poe work, I actually recited it for an audition to be valedictorian of my graduating junior high school class. Surprisingly, I was selected by the committee; however, I was completely terrified to give a speech in front of so many people and decided to decline, giving someone else the opportunity instead. 

I'm very excited that the Raleigh now has a name, and I think it's a great one. I look forward to riding her for many years to come (and let's hope that her name isn't some sort of bad ju-ju on our relationship)!