The Terry Burlington

The Terry Burlington - going, going, gone? Unfortunately, I have yet
 to see this model  around town.

With growing interest in commuting, options for ready-made commuter friendly bicycles are truly astounding. From inexpensive Public Bikes to middle of the road Breezers to outrageously expensive bikes in this list (I'm swooning over the Le Flâneur d'Hermès), I'm totally digging the plethora of bikes available. There's a commuter bike to meet every budget.

The frame's paint job is lovely, including "burlington" written next to the logo.
How many cities can lay claim to their own bike model?

A recent Performance Bicycle e-newsletter advertised a Terry bike, one I've run across before (Terry Bicycles and Budnitz both now hail from Burlington, my city). The ad caught my eye, mainly because it's the first Terry I've seen in their "catalog" plus the price is deeply discounted, from $750 (and no longer available on Terry's website) to $450 on Performance's sale section. Unfortunately, it appears Terry's commuter bike line is discontinued.

I like a lot of the Burlington's features: Altus big wheeled derailleur (recently touted as big bang for your buck on Rivendell's blog), step through style, sealed bearings, Terry saddle, dual front fork eyelets, 8 speeds (plenty for Burlington's hills), Kenda Kwest white tires, double chainring guard, fenders, rack, and built using 26" wheels - what I consider the cat's meow size for easy replacement and capable of handling mini off road adventures.

It's beautiful (see close up above), basic, functional and a steal for 450.00, especially since it's shipped free to a local Performance bike store. Also available on BikesDirect.com. And will become a collector's item in, say 20 years. At least in Burlington, Vermont. Maybe.

And the fact that Terry's Burlington visually resembles my
Ross, or vice versa, er, has nothing to do with anything.

It's heartwarming to find so many commuter bikes available. However, from a business standpoint, with the selection of bikes flooding the market, not all companies or bike models will survive the glut. It will be interesting to see what commuter bike styles will be available 10 years down the road.