New bike! Yay!

I bought a new bike. It was kind of an impulse purchase, but I've been thinking lately about expanding my transportation options just a bit. I had to stop riding the old bike a while back on account of hand and wrist and arm pain (which is better, thanks), and I'd pretty much given up on ever finding a bike that a) didn't hurt, and b) I could afford. But I was at lunch today and walked by a bike shop I'd never been in before and there were these bikes sitting there, in all these creamy colors. Low-slung, kind of clunky, attractive in a so-ugly-they're-cute kind of way. Absolutely not built to ride hard or go fast, but plenty sturdy enough for commuting, running to the grocery store, etc. Some models of this bike even have an automatic transmission on them, but I didn't like that so much.

The coolest thing about it is that you sit in an upright position and don't put much of any weight on your hands, and your wrists are at an angle that doesn't create pain or numbness (and yeah, there's some suspension in the front). I rode it for about an hour and a half, and it was less painful than, say, typing for an hour and a half. The angle of the seat post and its relationship to the pedals is also a cool feature. It's designed so that you can stay in the seat and put your feet on the ground solidly enough, yet still extend your legs just right for optimal pedaling efficiency.

Also very cool: the seat. Large, soft, roomy, gel-padded, and it's got its own little hydraulic spring suspension thingy. I rode it home from the store and around the neighborhood for a ride in regular pants. No problem!

I got the three-speed model, which is more versatile than I expected it to be. I found a couple of hills I had to walk up, but I'm pretty out of shape -- plus I was looking for hills that were difficult, so I could plan routes accordingly when necessary. I think the limitation was me, not the bike. Or at least, I hit my own limit before I encountered the bike's. And I can upgrade it to a seven-speed (or even 24!) at a pretty reasonable cost.

I need to get a basket for it, and maybe some kind of rack to put on the rear. I already have a nifty jangly bell and some lights.

Oh, and the color? Is a very dreamy pale, greenish, off-white.