The Parts Pile and Turning it up to 11.
Hello. My name is Mike and I am a gear whore. Admitting it is the first step towards recovery.
...but I don't want to recover.
Most years in the fall I will start stocking up on consumables when the online retailers start having sales and are anxious to clear out their inventories. Tires, tubes, cleats, chains, brake pads... I stock up now so I don't have to pay retail later. At least, that's what I tell myself.
This year I went a little into overdrive. It started with 11 speed. I have no intention of moving from 10 speed to 11 speed, as I don't see any advantage at the moment. The majority of my wheelsets won't accept an 11 speed cassette. It would be a pretty massive investment to swap all of my bikes over to 11 speed for that extra gear, especially when it doesn't really add much to the equation for me.
The upside is that a lot of retailers starting to discount their 10 speed stuff. So, being the good consumer I am, I'm taking some of it off of their hands. I started with the cassettes. I now have 10 pretty, new cassettes of varying gear ratios. Since the shipping is often free if you add a part or two to your order to meet a certain amount, I picked up a few tires and a few chains. I now have 10 new clincher tires and 4 new tubular tires, plus 7 new chains... and cleats... and tubes. None of this is all that horrible, since I can go years without buying these consumables again.
Then I started thinking (which is always a dangerous thing). Why not pick up some drivetrain parts for future builds? They're cheap(er) too, and it beats running around trying to find them when something breaks or I pick up a new frame. Long story short, I could build up 3 new bikes with what is in the pile. Actually, I've had to stop myself a couple times from picking up another frame to justify the parts. I just don't have room for the additional bikes, and there's only so many I can ride.
I just like them. I like riding them. I like working on them. I like morphing them from one configuration into another. The parts pile feeds that. I haven't paid full retail on a road bike since I bought the Fuji almost 8 years ago, building or rebuilding each new project from the bare frame up. Ride-able Legos.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check eBay for valve extenders. If I don't post again soon, I'll likely be found in the garage under an avalanche of SRAM boxes.
...but I don't want to recover.
Most years in the fall I will start stocking up on consumables when the online retailers start having sales and are anxious to clear out their inventories. Tires, tubes, cleats, chains, brake pads... I stock up now so I don't have to pay retail later. At least, that's what I tell myself.
This year I went a little into overdrive. It started with 11 speed. I have no intention of moving from 10 speed to 11 speed, as I don't see any advantage at the moment. The majority of my wheelsets won't accept an 11 speed cassette. It would be a pretty massive investment to swap all of my bikes over to 11 speed for that extra gear, especially when it doesn't really add much to the equation for me.
The upside is that a lot of retailers starting to discount their 10 speed stuff. So, being the good consumer I am, I'm taking some of it off of their hands. I started with the cassettes. I now have 10 pretty, new cassettes of varying gear ratios. Since the shipping is often free if you add a part or two to your order to meet a certain amount, I picked up a few tires and a few chains. I now have 10 new clincher tires and 4 new tubular tires, plus 7 new chains... and cleats... and tubes. None of this is all that horrible, since I can go years without buying these consumables again.
Then I started thinking (which is always a dangerous thing). Why not pick up some drivetrain parts for future builds? They're cheap(er) too, and it beats running around trying to find them when something breaks or I pick up a new frame. Long story short, I could build up 3 new bikes with what is in the pile. Actually, I've had to stop myself a couple times from picking up another frame to justify the parts. I just don't have room for the additional bikes, and there's only so many I can ride.
- I have my blue Madone 5.2 Pro, which is my climbing and training bike. Gotta have one of those.
- I have my black Madone 6.69, which is my race bike. Perfectly understandable.
- I have my blue Fuji Aloha, which is my TT bike. Gotta gain those seconds in time trials.
- I have my black Ridley Orion, which is my stationary trainer and travel bike, since none of the Madones fit in my bike case (seatmasts). Logical.
- I have my bastardized Kona Jake, which is my foul weather and 'cross bike. Wider tires and disc brakes can be nice.
I just like them. I like riding them. I like working on them. I like morphing them from one configuration into another. The parts pile feeds that. I haven't paid full retail on a road bike since I bought the Fuji almost 8 years ago, building or rebuilding each new project from the bare frame up. Ride-able Legos.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check eBay for valve extenders. If I don't post again soon, I'll likely be found in the garage under an avalanche of SRAM boxes.
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