Whoa. I don't like the look you're giving me. It reminds me exactly of Patty's. I had hoped for a little more understanding. I thought we shared the same irrational bikey enthusiasm and all. Now I see how you are. Whatever.
Thing is, I've owned this full suspension MTB for 6 years and I've hardly ridden it. This bike belongs under someone with skills, of which I have none. And I don't care what the brochure says, it climbs like a dog and rolls like taffy on pavement. It is really good hardware and someone needs to bomb some steep and rocky shit on it and I'm old and mellow and it's totally not me.
Enter craigslist. One response and one response only, which is all it takes. Bye, and happy bombing.
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With cash in hand, I shopped fast and hard. A 29er hardtail was surely the ticket. You can spend a fortune on these, but with my non-agressive riding style, I don't see why I can't get by with an entry-level version, which is in the $700-800 range. I checked the LBS's to see what was happening. I ended up at REI, which gave me the best bang for the buck in terms of components and features. An $899 Novara Ponderosa 29 marked down to $763. The next day I found it on their website for $650. So I went down to the store and they credited the diff. Super bangy now, hella bike for six-fiddy.
Then I left town for a week. Without getting to ride it once. Ground the enamel right off my teeth on a coupla airplane rides. Wet dreams in some hotel rooms in strange cities. Happy ending, though, we finally got acquainted today.
This bike is supposed to be my ideal solution for mixed terrain rides - heading down Cedar and out Gov't way to play in Riverside dirt and then back through town on blacktop and hooking up with the trails on the bluff to climb back up the hill. Nothing way technical, just way fun. And today, I was lucky to be able to break it in on a ride around Loon Lake which I have come to appreciate as maybe the best mix of terrain in 10 miles that ever existed. Some of this . . .
. . . and this . . .
. . . and this . . .
. . . and this . . .
. . . and this . . .
There. See? I can tell by your look that you understand. So can you please help me explain it to my wife.
6 comments:
These may have been the greatest words yet written about bicycling:
"I've been thinking for a while that I need a new bike and last weekend there was this flash of light and I knew that it was time to act."
Awesome trade(yeah, just call it a trade, 1 bike for another right?)That is a seriously sweet deal on the Ponderosa. Talk about bang for the buck AND you got it for less to boot! Your wife is lucky she didn't marry some dumbass. You should tell her that this deal confirms just how smart she really is, for being able to find a guy that can really work it. At least that's the angle I might take. Wade
I just checked it out on their site and it doesn't appear to have an eyelet anywhere!!??! Are you sure this is the right bike? Wade
Patty,
You've always been there for Pat and I'm sure he appreciates that to no end. You've been immensely patient with his obsessive-compulsive rackufacturing. You were there when he departed for a hundred miles of darkness and welcomed him home upon his safe return. You've humored his bike wanderings and tolerated his bike squanderings. You have truly been an angel.
So this one time you are excused should you take issue with your husband's most recent purchase. And if you do, I happily offer my services to relieve him of that bike AT NO CHARGE whatsoever. Because that's the kind of guy I am.
Humbly yours,
Hank
I don't see the problem -- one in, one out, zero net difference! ;)
Alan, Wade, Hank and Jim: Thank you for your tremendous contributions towards helping solve my serious problem. I would like to recommend you guys to John Hughes for consideration as major characters in his next teen angst movie. Please consider any thoughts for yourselves of careers in the marriage counseling industry as a very bad idea.
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