Pages

Thursday, June 23

Autoreply: Out of Office

Somewhere out there in the woods on Stage 2 of the Trans-Sylvania Epic, I decided that when the race was over, I was going to take my cute, tiny computer (as Matt Hawkins refers to it) off my handlebars.  I can't remember how long ago I put it back on... last October... for something?

Dunno.

It was nice for helping in the planning of the route for Tour duh Charlotte, and by default, it's just stayed on there.  Laziness?  More than likely.  Required gear at PMBAR.  The clock to remind me when to eat at TSE.  Otherwise pointless.

Well, on Stage Four whilst riding in the rain, it died.  Funny, but that was the day that I caught Matt Green (flats), went into third, and would have really liked to know how many more miles I had to go until the finish.  I got back home, tore the back off, let it dry out, and it worked again.  Now it goes back in storage.

It would be terrible to know how many miles I've traveled at the upcoming Tour de Burg (yeth, I'm 99% going), and there wouldn't be any accurate information available regarding distances for each given day, so whatever.  Eat when we get to the lunch stop and whenever else offered, and I should be good.  Drink everything all the time.  Coke, water, beer... whatever.  Doesn't matter.

Of course, I open my big mouth Tuesday and profess my love for my hard tail, and then Bill Nye sends me a text Wednesday afternoon.

"Stop in the Spoke Easy and check out my new frame."

Sure.

Good lord.  The Patrol Carbon from Transition Bikes.  So pretty... boner maker.

It hits most of the marks... 73mm BSA (threaded) bottom bracket, non-Boost rear end, water bottle mount, rear end fits a chunky 27.5" tire, just a touch heavier than my hard tail.  Aside from needing a stealth drooper of the proper diameter, I could swap my 29" Pike back to 150mm so I could run the 2.8 Rekon, get something to tension the chain for single speed purposes, and boom... bike.

Oh yeah, come up with $3,200 first.  Plus some more doll hairs for the other things.

Maybe I'll just ride his and do my best to hate it.

Trying so hard to remember or forget if this was fun or stupid.

Before I forget to ever mention it, TruckerCo posted up a test comparing its Cream sealant against one of the leading competitors.

The test was done independently by someone with way too much time on their hands and quite the big brain.  Read it, absorb it, make your decisions (and save some money).  My testing has just involved not getting flats all the time.  Not very scientific, but I did bail on my career path as a science teacher after my first two years of college.

No blerhg tomorrow.  Up early and heading out to Charleston...

No, not that horrible town by the ocean where tourists flock to a place where people used to sell other people so they can buy trinkets and whatever else they choose to dispose their income on in the pursuit of happiness.  West Virginia.  Close to heaven on earth as you can get.  Also a big river, huge free concert, a cool brewery, and a nifty environment to walk around and look at people.  Oh, and mountain biking in the Kanawha State Forest.

Yeth.

FYI: I just fist bumped myself.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

yuk... full suspension bikes... yuk.
my first FS ride was back in the mid 90s when proflex came out with their first FS ride. I had a Kona Sex one. I busted that frame around 4 times then they upgraded me to a Stinky. Then came the noises... creak creak creak.
I then went HT again. Love my HTs. I have around 8 HT frames at home (not including the CX and road rides). HT just feels so good. Can feel it all and maneuver without the delay in response. I like feeling it all under me nuts.
with FS, it all gets bouncy and stuff... as though one has to duct tape their nuts to their arse.
Thus, don't do it- stay HT. Stay true to the sport!

Doug M. said...

Nah anon, nah. Contemporary 5-6" FS - and especially Transition - are sooo rad. I'm heading to Bellingham soon, homeland of Transition and rowdy PNW trails to demo the Scout & Patrol. It'll take all my will power not to explore the outer reaches of my credit card limit. Wish me luck \mm/

sperho said...

"Staying true to the sport" when that "sport" is mountain biking, means embracing change and new ideas... Not that FS is a new idea, but being on an HT is hardly being true to anything but to one's own preferences or biases.

Anonymous said...

I switched to an Evil Following. Never had so much fun on a bike. Point and shoot, and the thing just goes. I'll never go back.

I see a single speed Following in your future dicky. Try one, and good luck trying to give it back.