NEW BIKE DAY! Felt Cafe 3

Routinely we at the shop are asked: "what do you ride?"  Well, we spend a lot of time talking about the bikes we race, but sometimes I want to ride something other than my race bike.  My wife recently approached me about getting something we can ride the neighborhood together on.  Something we can either hook up a trailer or toss on a baby seat to tote our kiddo with us.  Something she can commute on and lock up.  Her Lynskey Cooper just doesn't fit the bill there.

Enter the Felt Cafe 3.  First and foremost, the color was right.  My wife fell for the Robin Egg Blue immediately.  And let's be honest: color really matters.  People don't always want to admit that, but it's true.

The Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub is excellent for the city since it's very low maintenance, concealed from the elements, and simple to use.

I also went with the Cafe 3, but mine came in a color called Putty.  I like a toned-down colorway much of the time, so it works for me.  I considered a Navy Cafe 8, but since I'll be adding a Topeak Babysitter II rack, it made no sense to get a bike that came with a stock rack.

After considering a lot of options, the Cafe 3 screamed to us.  Being made of aluminum the bike is actually pretty light.  Customers are used to seeing steel bikes that are 30 years old that look like this and weigh 40-50 lbs.  30 lbs for the Cafe 3 makes a remarkable difference.

We had a short list of requirements mentioned before: comfortable, easy to maintain, reliable, simple, and someone with plenty of utility.