Evolution.
So I made the completely irresponsible decision to buy two new-to-me bikes. Financially it was a horrible decision, as I certainly could have found better uses for the money. On the practical side, there is no reasonable justification as I have more bikes than I can ride and less than zero space to store any additions.
And yet, I want them.
Fair enough. I bow to your superior reasoning, sir.
Now I'm faced with the onerous task of making room for them. With this firmly in mind, I went shopping.
I was at the Trek store the other day, and they had a couple clearance tables. Dangerous places, those clearance tables. On one table was a bin of Bontrager stems. Not the best or lightest stems, but certainly serviceable when you're experimenting with fit. I bought a couple of different lengths. On another table, there was a set of Shimano ST-R700 10 speed shifters, new in a slightly squished box, for much, much less than the list price that nobody, and I mean nobody in their right mind paid. They're not bad shifters by any means, but they are essentially outdated by a few generations and as such were originally overpriced.
Not content to confine my activities to mere clearance tables, I jumped at the excuse to head to eBayLand and spend more money. An Enve fork for the Moots Compact frame? Why yes, I believe I need one of those.It doesn't matter that I already have a perfectly serviceable Easton EC90 fork, this one is stiffer to a minute degree, and considering I'm planning on producing Marcel Kittel-esque sprint power well into my 70s, it seems like a no-brainer. Actually, none of my purchases involved the use of a brain, but that's beside the point. Or completely the point. You have to spend money to make money. Coffee's for closers. I forgot where I was going with that.
The vague end-state I'm stumbling towards is to simultaneously build bikes that make me giggle like a school girl while also building bikes that I can pass on to others, which hopefully will inspire someone else to swoon. When you have a bike that makes you want to ride more, you have a good bike. That, and I need to clear some space for the next few stray bikes I drag home. My quiver of bikes is in a state of evolution, as I acquire ones that reflect my own preferences. It's less about what the industry wants to sell me than what gets me out of bed on a cold, rainy day and onto the road.
I have a problem, but I'm working on it, one piece of carbon at a time.
And yet, I want them.
Fair enough. I bow to your superior reasoning, sir.
Now I'm faced with the onerous task of making room for them. With this firmly in mind, I went shopping.
I was at the Trek store the other day, and they had a couple clearance tables. Dangerous places, those clearance tables. On one table was a bin of Bontrager stems. Not the best or lightest stems, but certainly serviceable when you're experimenting with fit. I bought a couple of different lengths. On another table, there was a set of Shimano ST-R700 10 speed shifters, new in a slightly squished box, for much, much less than the list price that nobody, and I mean nobody in their right mind paid. They're not bad shifters by any means, but they are essentially outdated by a few generations and as such were originally overpriced.
Not content to confine my activities to mere clearance tables, I jumped at the excuse to head to eBayLand and spend more money. An Enve fork for the Moots Compact frame? Why yes, I believe I need one of those.It doesn't matter that I already have a perfectly serviceable Easton EC90 fork, this one is stiffer to a minute degree, and considering I'm planning on producing Marcel Kittel-esque sprint power well into my 70s, it seems like a no-brainer. Actually, none of my purchases involved the use of a brain, but that's beside the point. Or completely the point. You have to spend money to make money. Coffee's for closers. I forgot where I was going with that.
The vague end-state I'm stumbling towards is to simultaneously build bikes that make me giggle like a school girl while also building bikes that I can pass on to others, which hopefully will inspire someone else to swoon. When you have a bike that makes you want to ride more, you have a good bike. That, and I need to clear some space for the next few stray bikes I drag home. My quiver of bikes is in a state of evolution, as I acquire ones that reflect my own preferences. It's less about what the industry wants to sell me than what gets me out of bed on a cold, rainy day and onto the road.
I have a problem, but I'm working on it, one piece of carbon at a time.
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