Madison Bikes

For whatever reason, bike riding is much more popular here in Madison than it is in West Lafayette. On State street (the shopping street) and around the campus there are a LOT of riders. There are also a few bikes painted red -- the school color. But they paint everything, even the tires, and do it sloppily. That seems to be the preferred way.

There are also several places that rent bikes such as yellow jersey. As most of you know, it's always better to buy and service your bike at a locally owned bike store than at a big box retailer. Can you imagine your derailer being adjusted by a teenager with vice grips?

There have been a lot of giant specialty stores that have pushed out independent retailers such as drug stores (Walgreens, CVS, etc.), book stores (Borders and B & N), even hardware stores (Home Depot). But I haven't heard of any super bike stores yet.