One Thousand and Ninety-Five Days

At least I kept the Epic EVO longer than any other full suspension bike since I started this blerhg back in 2006.

No, I didn't clamp the shock, you dim wit.

It almost made it to the three year mark, although it's only seen 81 miles in 2024.  That's like 5% of my recorded '24 miles, so obviously, the thrill is gone.  The heart wants what the heart wants.  Speaking of, after my most recent trip and a four day weekend, my Radimus finally has more miles this year than my garvel bike, so I'm calling myself a "single speeder" again.

This is the only part left of the Epic EVO that isn't being used on the new bike that isn't spoken for:

Great fork, but I wanna try the new Stepcast 34... because I'm not ded yet.  No reason to hold on to it any longer.  You should totally buy it.  Yeth, you.

Somethings old, somethings new, somethings borrowed, somethings purple.

No idea when the frame will be here, but the SOLiX wheels (the last big piece of the puzzle) should be here soon'ish.  No real rush, but I would like to have it all together before the Old Fort Fifty in August.  That's my last new white Ergon saddle, so I'm sad to be down to the final one.  I can't find them anywhere.  Le sigh.  Also, this will be my first go around with Centerlock rotors on a mountain bike.  I was reluctant at first, but what's ironic is that back when I used to travel on planes way more with my bike, I complained that Industry Nine didn't have a Centerlock option on their system wheels to make rotor removal/installation easier.  Now I hardly travel and got what I wanted then but not now but okay.

BTW: Those Wolftooth alloy bar end plugs have more than paid for themselves by saving my ESI grips from tree bashings and dumping the bike to the ground because I don't ride good.  Highly recommendo.

Things I'll miss about the Epic EVO?

I feel like the Rohloff tensioner was really dialed in and making less noise with the alloy pulleys.  I was pretty stoked when I figured out that I coulda carry a spare UDH hanger attached to the bottom of my bottle cage with an old seat post binder.  The chain tool/spare link storage headset compression thing was the perfect compliment to the under-the-bottle-cage SWAT tool, but since I'll be moving the Conceal Carry tool over to this bike, I don't have a bike that can use it anymore.  Womp womp.  I'm not getting rid of it because... hoarding.

While de-rubbering my Hydra wheels, I noticed that once again, TruckerCo Cream II did its job effectively without ever letting me know I had a puncture.  This shit just works.  I like shit that works.

I really thought for quite some time, at least since finally buying a garvel bike that suited my needs, I'd not have the pleasure of putting a bike together any time in the near future.  I'm glad I was wrong.

You only YOLO once.  Mebbe twice if you live long enough.