'Member?
'Member how a couple days ago I posted about how responsible I was being with my newfound wealth and prosperity? Yeah, it hasn't been easy.
First it was the time trial frames, all sleek and elegant and fast just sitting there. They're so fast I would have won even before I crossed the start line. Then I remembered- I have a time trial bike I use three or four times a year. I can't force my geriatric body into a lower and more aerodynamic position without losing all power, so I would look like I was suspended on stilts on one of these low, aerodynamic machines. A couple inches of exposed cable isn't making me slow. A frame shape that looks like it may have been tested in a wind tunnel (but likely wasn't) isn't going to make me significantly faster. I'm going to bleed time to the diesels just like I always do. Nope, I don't need to spend hundreds of dollars more to save seconds on a 10 mile time trial. I've already spent thousands. At a certain point you have to recognize a bad investment.
That was a relatively easy decision.
Then I saw it, and to be 100% honest, I'm still struggling with it. It's a Moots titanium road bike with disc brakes, thru axles, carbon wheels, and Chris King everything. My heart skipped a beat. Despite the somewhat uninspiring name (does Moots really sound synonymous with fast?), this is one of the titanium frame builders I generally lust after. A Moots would likely be a bike I'd keep for my entire life, or at least until I caved into peer pressure and just let the electric motor do all of the work like everyone else. This would be a quiver-killer sort of bike, one that would fill many roles and free up a lot of space in the garage. I wouldn't likely race it (unless I wasn't concerned about the result), but I'd probably do most everything else on it.
Still, I got to thinking about it.
The only real advantage it has over my existing ti road bike is disc brakes. The ti bike has aluminum wheels and good brake pads, so this advantage isn't huge.
The ti gravel project bike has disc brakes and clearance for wider tires, although it will likely be a couple pounds heavier. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make to me.
My carbon bikes aren't as durable and don't have disc brakes, but they are lighter and stiffer. They can go faster, but slowing down is longer process.
The fact is, I really don't need the Moots. I have all of my road riding needs pretty much covered already, without spending any more money or being forced to thin the herd to create garage space to hide the purchase from my wife. Even if she doesn't know that it's worth more than my car, she still can see the difference between the status quo and +1. The resulting fight and peace offering purchases would have to be added to the cost of the Moots, moving it from the "I shouldn't" to the "I can't afford it" price range.
Still, it's tempting.
I hope somebody buys it before I cave in.
First it was the time trial frames, all sleek and elegant and fast just sitting there. They're so fast I would have won even before I crossed the start line. Then I remembered- I have a time trial bike I use three or four times a year. I can't force my geriatric body into a lower and more aerodynamic position without losing all power, so I would look like I was suspended on stilts on one of these low, aerodynamic machines. A couple inches of exposed cable isn't making me slow. A frame shape that looks like it may have been tested in a wind tunnel (but likely wasn't) isn't going to make me significantly faster. I'm going to bleed time to the diesels just like I always do. Nope, I don't need to spend hundreds of dollars more to save seconds on a 10 mile time trial. I've already spent thousands. At a certain point you have to recognize a bad investment.
That was a relatively easy decision.
Then I saw it, and to be 100% honest, I'm still struggling with it. It's a Moots titanium road bike with disc brakes, thru axles, carbon wheels, and Chris King everything. My heart skipped a beat. Despite the somewhat uninspiring name (does Moots really sound synonymous with fast?), this is one of the titanium frame builders I generally lust after. A Moots would likely be a bike I'd keep for my entire life, or at least until I caved into peer pressure and just let the electric motor do all of the work like everyone else. This would be a quiver-killer sort of bike, one that would fill many roles and free up a lot of space in the garage. I wouldn't likely race it (unless I wasn't concerned about the result), but I'd probably do most everything else on it.
Still, I got to thinking about it.
The only real advantage it has over my existing ti road bike is disc brakes. The ti bike has aluminum wheels and good brake pads, so this advantage isn't huge.
The ti gravel project bike has disc brakes and clearance for wider tires, although it will likely be a couple pounds heavier. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make to me.
My carbon bikes aren't as durable and don't have disc brakes, but they are lighter and stiffer. They can go faster, but slowing down is longer process.
The fact is, I really don't need the Moots. I have all of my road riding needs pretty much covered already, without spending any more money or being forced to thin the herd to create garage space to hide the purchase from my wife. Even if she doesn't know that it's worth more than my car, she still can see the difference between the status quo and +1. The resulting fight and peace offering purchases would have to be added to the cost of the Moots, moving it from the "I shouldn't" to the "I can't afford it" price range.
Still, it's tempting.
I hope somebody buys it before I cave in.
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