Drooper Related Syndrome

The squish thing.  It's not what you think.  Dropping to flat is 2001.  I stopped that business a long time ago.  Jumping?  Don't think so.  I'm about as close to my limit as I wanna be.  That drop/gap/jump thing I've been doing at the Backyard?

It ain't much of a thing although it's a tad bigger than it looks.  3.5ft down, mebbe 8ft out over a slight gap to a nice transition.  Rear suspension won't make much a difference.  Front suspension is probably only just a mental enabler.  There's a much bigger gap back there to my left (your right) that I've been eyeballing.  I can imagine doing it, but then I imagine something like this if I fail:

Watching the Red Bull Rampage gives me a glimpse at glory as well a peek around the corner to see the Ghost of Carnage Future.

BTW: I knew Lacondeguy was gonna win hours before the big show.

What intrigues me (again) with a frame that has way too many moving parts?

The hardtail.  It can do so much.  With a 150mm fjork, even more.  Straight line shots down a hill can be fantastic... as long as your head and eyes can keep up.  There's a nasty root line on the Weigh Station Loop at the Whitewater Center I hit last weekend.  Gnarl burger speed, but with the straight shot and big, round roots, the bike just floats between my legs with the drooper drooped.  Felt so good.

But those square edge hits.  The ones I don't see at the last minute and fail to avoid.  Gnar gnar like I rode on Spencer Gap last week.  All's well and then it's like a torpedo out of nowhere.  Horrid noises, hull integrity compromised, possible tire damage, certain rim unhappiness.  It was going so well up until then, and then regret and sads.

The other time I think about it?  Railing a corner, drooper drooped, bike leaned hard between my legs, center of gravity as close to being over the contact patch as possible.  Burning full-on Enduro™ turns.  Roots, rocks, detritus... all trying to pull the rear wheel out from under me. 

Damn it.  Is it the drooper allowing me to go just that bit faster?  Sometimes I think so.

I don't want life to be more complicated.  I don't want more maintenance.  I don't need another bike.

I think back to those short few days on the MOOTS Rogue YBB 27.5.

That bike with a drooper and a 140mm fjork, preferably something Pike'esque.  Not so complicated, but enough to take the edge off a square hit?  Dunno.  I really liked grooving on the smaller wheels.  Didn't run stuff over as well, but felt playful.

Maybe it's just that time of year.  The opposite of Spring Fever... Air Spring Fall Fever.

I've spent way too many slow days at work looking at the options.  Norco, Devinci, Specialized, Transition, Scott, Santa Cruz, Pivot, Intense, Rocky Mountain, Foes... all better to buy at full spec.  None spec'ed/built out the way I would want them.  1X drivetrain, internal drooper, Shimano brakes, high bottom bracket, pink wheels... maybe it's better that way.

I know gears come with the package, so the frame would have to absolutely stellar enough to make me forget about the bits.

Maybe I just need to ride more.