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Shop Around the Web: Wheels
by
Rachel Balik
It’s always fun to shop for those little extras in life—the stuff you may not need but definitely want. In “Shop Around the Web,” we show you sites that will help you perk up your purchases. This week, we focus on wheels. Not the kind you associate with cars and exorbitant gas prices, but the fun kind. Get on a roll—with bikes, scooters, skateboards or in-line skates—it’s great exercise, economical and green!
Bicycles
Back in the day (and we mean way back in the day), the only features the perfect bike required were shiny paint and snazzy handlebars. But if you’re not seven years old anymore, determining the bike you want is tougher than declaring, “the one with the flowered basket!” With REI’s How to Choose a Bike Guide, you’ll deal with more factors and get a clear understanding of how to assess and evaluate each one of them. The step-by-step advice should have you careening down the block to meet up with the neighborhood “kids” in no time (or up the mountain, if that’s more up your alley these days.)
Source: REI
If you don’t have a bike yet, it’s not too early to start fantasizing. Begin with the gallery at Roadbikereview.com, where you can view thousands of bikes, races, teams and tours.
Source: Road Bike Review
So you’ve got your bike: now you need gear—lots of gear. But not at a price that will leave with you lots of bills. Head to Bike Nashbar, which promises, “always a great deal.” You can also buy a bike from Nashbar, and more important, you can buy bike parts. That means if something breaks, if you want to start tinkering with your current bike, or build yourself a new one, Nashbar is your source.
Source: Nashbar
Scooters
Biking can be a great method of transportation that works as an alternative to a car. If you’re looking for something that’s doesn’t quite compare with a car but does give you a big edge over walkers, a scooter may be the answer. Razor scooters are all the rage for kids, but the Pro Model is a pretty snazzy way for adults to take to the streets.
Source: Razor Scooter
Need a little bit more va-voom? Urban Scooters electric motorized scooter is not quite a Vespa, but not quite a toy.
Source: Urban Scooter
Skateboards
If you’re totally uninterested in any motorized assistance, or even handlebars, what you need is a skateboard. But in that case, choose wisely. There are more skateboards than there are stars in the sky. (Well, it’s close … ) The Concrete Wave buyers’ guide is available for download on the Web site of the Silverfish Long Boarding community site. You can also read reviews of products directly on the site.
Source: Silverfish Longboarding
Skates
If your reaction to skateboarding is that having one foot on the ground is no fun at all, head (virtually) to K2 Skates and get yourself some in-line skates. Did you know there are different skates for fitness and training? Or a line called “Rock’s?” Explore all these lightweight, well-fitting options, because if you’re going to backtrack to the ’90s, you should do it with as much conviction and class as possible.
Source: K2 Skates
