The search for a touring bicycle was almost like an Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider adventure.

As my quest continued, one day far from home, I stumbled across a remote location, hidden from view. An elderly man bid me to enter his humble establishment. He led me through dark passages, and I started to become concerned as our torches grew dim. But finally, when I could no longer stand the dust and cobwebs, he stopped. He pointed high up on the wall, and I could not believe my eyes. There, in the dimly lit room, mounted on the wall, was an actual touring bicycle!

Okay, okay, shopping for a touring bicycle wasn’t that bad! But, it quickly became very clear that I was not going to be able to follow the advice offered in most of the Internet forums. Many people would ask about the merits of bicycle A, as opposed to bicycle B, as opposed to bicycle C. I always loved the response that recommended test riding them all. Are you kidding! I would be lucky to see one of those bicycles, much less test ride one.

Don’t get me wrong. The area has many good bicycle shops, that for the right amount of money, will order you a fine bicycle. But, the selection of your bicycle would have to be based on factors other than seeing and riding the bike. You would pretty much have to jump in head first.

I would rather test the waters a little first. I didn’t want to buy an expensive bike, only for it to end up sitting in a garage. After some research, my first choice was a Fuji Touring bicycle, but I could not find one in the area. My next choice was a Jamis Aurora, and a shop in the area did have one I could see. Unfortunately, it was way too big for me. The Novara Safari and Novara Randonee from REI Co-op, were available close to my size, but were considerably more expensive. Even the 20% off coupons they occasionally offered, were not much help, as bicycles were often excluded.

I remained patient for months, but nothing changed. Then one day, on a whim, I visited a distant bicycle shop. I had previously called them asking about touring bicycles, but nothing was available. This time though, I couldn’t believe my luck. There, right in front of me, was one of the last of the 2015 Fuji Touring bicycles. They even offered me a discount, I was sold.