I've been picking scabs again

Last week, I posted a blerhg about my anally-compulsing over the minutia of setting up the Epic EVO in a manner that fit my particular riding style (or lack thereof).  I got two comments.  I published one.  The other I did not.

Basically I was told I was "filling a void" and needed to get Jesus (in 153 words or less but actually 153 words exactly).

*sigh*

At the age of fifty two and a half, I find myself taking less pleasure in taking a piss outta things that give others comfort and joy.  Sure, I still think that road bikes should have drooper posts, fat bikes make sense if you live somewhere that snow occasionally makes a normal bike pointless, and cyclocross races should not allow pit bikes but should allow handups.  

I'm not going to be the one to tell someone to not have Jesus in their lives.  I'm also not going to tell a vegan to eat a hamburger, yell at a roadie to put some pants on, or insist that someone read a book* or something before voting in an election or making important health decisions.

You do you.  I do me.

I take great joy in tweaking my bikes (obvs) to extract the largest amount of exhilaration out of their existence in my life. I'm also immersed in self-serving rapture with my ability to unload a dishwasher in the most time-efficient of manners, and I'm wholly filled with heart-warming gratification when I stand back and look at yet another well-organized closet.

I do things half-ass or full ass or no ass at all.  95% ass is too close to full ass and not close enough to half ass to take my foot off the ass gas.

As former bike messenger Kevin once pointed out, I enjoy fucking with shit.

The weather only cooperated for one day over the wintry-mix, shitted-on weekend so I could only get in one ride with the new stem part.  I finally started feeling like this bike could be a pea to my carrot.

Shorter stem, wider bar (as wide as my other two mountain bikes), and now I'm feeling at home.  Although I'd set plenty of local PRs without trying on this bike when I first got it, I no longer feel like my nose is gonna be abraded by the front tire when descending.  I'm so comfortable on the bike that I was even floating the idea of taking it to the Moab Rocks stage race in April... thus confusing the matter all the more, being that I was already struggling with the idea of mebbe doing a stage race with a suspension (front) fork equipped SS.  I don't plan on being what one would call "in shape" by April, and the 50+ class is loaded with what I would call "talent," so why not?

FWIW: Now that the bike is really feeling like a keeper, I decided I was going to finally pull the trigger on a different rear shock and...

Sold out.  Of course I'd been looking at it since I got the bike back in July, and it was in stock right up until last week.  

Poop.

Speaking of the shite weather**...

I ended my streak of days of bike rides in a row... at some number... because I wasn't counting, but I can't remember the last day I didn't ride a bike.  It's been weeks and months and who knows?  I skipped out on Sunday's freezing rain and 25mph winds but forced myself out on a Sad Dad™ in the slush and melt and typical NC "winter" joy.

Also...

Yeth, pants.  Ignore the Port-a-Jon in my front yard, although I'm now claiming we have one and a half baths.

I don't like pants in general.  They're just sleeves for your legs, kinda stupid.  That said, when I got my HandUp AT+ Shorts, I couldn't help but notice that not only were they a little beefier than their standard short, they were warmer.  It was cold enough the other night to leave the house in my "work" jeans ("work" meaning gutters, poison ivy heavy trail maintenance... dunno), and I could feel the cold air coming right through the leg sleeves  What's the point?

So I got some AT+ Pants to up my game, and dare I say just in time.  They are warm, stretchy, form-fitting, and the legs are tapered so I don't have to peg my leg sleeves like we did in the '80s.

Yeth, we did that.  No, it's not because we were riding bikes and tryna keep our leg sleeves out of the front sprocket.  We just did that.  Because... breakdancing?

Anyways, stoked to have a pair of pants for those times when leg sleeves seem favorable.  

I guess I'm old now.  I always thought old people wore pants.

* I'm using "read a book" in an all-encompassing manner meaning educate yourself somewhere other than social media.

** Continuing to speak about shite weather, this weekend looks as turd'esque as the last.  The odds that I might "race" Winter Shart Tarck will increase as the chances of the trails remaining in shambles continues.