Idiot.
Friday's post was all about me having monolithic quivers of bikes and skis. The bright point in the post was that I might actual diverge from my current trend and buy a pair of skis that was somewhat different than all of the others, expanding the capabilities and ski gene pool in my garage.
I made inquiries about shipping (as is prudent when you live in Alaska), and it all went south from there. The shipping quoted would have been almost as expensive as the skis, making the whole transaction much less desirable than it once appeared. I opted out.
To soothe my bruised consumption instincts, I casually browsed through familiar territory. I was all to aware of the peril I faced, but I foolishly pushed on. Deeper and deeper I dove into the pile of treasures, casting aside the chaff as I found one gem after another that I couldn't live without.
Yeah, I was on eBay again.
Yeah, I was in the bicycle frames section again.
Yeah, I ended up bidding on and winning another frame.
Yeah, I really shouldn't have.
"But this one's different!" I exclaimed. "I have nothing like it!"
...no, that's not exactly true.
"It's a Trek!" I already have three of them.
"It's a Madone!" All three are Madones.
"It has that sleek, low, racer-boy H1 geometry!" Two of them.
"It's black!" Again, two of them.
"It's a 6 Series Madone!" My race bike is a black Trek 6 Series Madone.
Fuck.
So, I have yet another project for this spring.
And with that, my bike quiver just got a little more inbred.
Thing is, I know what I like. I'm a roadie, and I've gone through my fair share of bikes. Scratch that. I've gone through far more bikes than many US protectorates. I've had road bikes that were too big and some that were too small. I've had road bikes that were too stiff and others that were too flexy. I've had ones that I couldn't wait to ride and other ones that I couldn't wait to get off. I've owned several that had features that I loved, but far more that were a pile of "what the fuck were they thinking?"
So, I've gotten to the point where I know that if I buy a certain bike in a certain year range in a certain color (anything but white) from a certain manufacturer, chances are it's going to be something I want to ride. I know that a certain length stem with a certain handlebar will new me a fit that is a nice balance between performance and comfort. In this case it's 56cm Trek 5-and-above Series Madones from 2008 to now.
When they pop up on eBay for a decent price from time to time, my first impulse (after checking the color) is to buy. I do the same thing with my favorite cycling shoes and saddles (both discontinued). You never know when the supply is going to dry up. It's a bad habit, but I guess it's preferable to hookers and blow. Healthier at least, although coke and prostitutes are probably cheaper and a better way to lose weight.
I wouldn't know, because all of my money is tied up in bike parts.
Fuck.
I made inquiries about shipping (as is prudent when you live in Alaska), and it all went south from there. The shipping quoted would have been almost as expensive as the skis, making the whole transaction much less desirable than it once appeared. I opted out.
To soothe my bruised consumption instincts, I casually browsed through familiar territory. I was all to aware of the peril I faced, but I foolishly pushed on. Deeper and deeper I dove into the pile of treasures, casting aside the chaff as I found one gem after another that I couldn't live without.
Yeah, I was on eBay again.
Yeah, I was in the bicycle frames section again.
Yeah, I ended up bidding on and winning another frame.
Yeah, I really shouldn't have.
"But this one's different!" I exclaimed. "I have nothing like it!"
...no, that's not exactly true.
"It's a Trek!" I already have three of them.
"It's a Madone!" All three are Madones.
"It has that sleek, low, racer-boy H1 geometry!" Two of them.
"It's black!" Again, two of them.
"It's a 6 Series Madone!" My race bike is a black Trek 6 Series Madone.
Fuck.
So, I have yet another project for this spring.
And with that, my bike quiver just got a little more inbred.
Thing is, I know what I like. I'm a roadie, and I've gone through my fair share of bikes. Scratch that. I've gone through far more bikes than many US protectorates. I've had road bikes that were too big and some that were too small. I've had road bikes that were too stiff and others that were too flexy. I've had ones that I couldn't wait to ride and other ones that I couldn't wait to get off. I've owned several that had features that I loved, but far more that were a pile of "what the fuck were they thinking?"
So, I've gotten to the point where I know that if I buy a certain bike in a certain year range in a certain color (anything but white) from a certain manufacturer, chances are it's going to be something I want to ride. I know that a certain length stem with a certain handlebar will new me a fit that is a nice balance between performance and comfort. In this case it's 56cm Trek 5-and-above Series Madones from 2008 to now.
When they pop up on eBay for a decent price from time to time, my first impulse (after checking the color) is to buy. I do the same thing with my favorite cycling shoes and saddles (both discontinued). You never know when the supply is going to dry up. It's a bad habit, but I guess it's preferable to hookers and blow. Healthier at least, although coke and prostitutes are probably cheaper and a better way to lose weight.
I wouldn't know, because all of my money is tied up in bike parts.
Fuck.
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