Bikes Of 2024: Dorado Sherpa

 It's another late December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Dorado Sherpa after the first snowfall of the 2024/2025 Winter season.

The Sherpa has been a commute to work bike for most of 2024, which is exactly what I had intended it to be. That and for short errands. However; I did use it to commute to a conference in early August which was all the way across the urban area I live in.Probably a 20 mile or more round trip.

While I could have used any of my bikes for 90% of that route, it was the last bit that the Sherpa was really the best choice for a bike I could have made. The reason being was that I ended up doing a bit of bushwhacking around the venue the convention was being held at. 

That venue had no approach to the building that was outside of car-centric amenities. The parking lot was busy, and so I ended up scouting out an approach to the venue that entailed a scaling of a steep, grassy hill, then across a gravel parking lot to a back door where there was a bike rack. In the back of the building! I mean, you couldn't get to it without doing the car dance out front, and well...... Should I be surprised? 

That's another story, but the Sherpa was and is a perfect bash-around bike that can be locked to a rack without any concerns that someone else would want it more than I do. Plus, it doesn't even look like anything "modern", which is great. The Sherpa's weirdness is a theft deterrent!

So, I really like this bike. It rides so smoothly, works all the time flawlessly, and does a great job of getting places other bikes I have would struggle to get to. That final point due to the Sherpa's geometry, gearing range, and overall degraded condition, meaning I don't have to worry about scratches or what have you. 

No plans to change anything here. Just basic maintenance going forward.