Thursday, March 6, 2014

Distracted

Busy week. Lazy evenings. And, a bike I don't need, but of course want...

We all know the "correct" number of bicycles each bicyclist should own: n+1
(With n being the number of currently owned bicycles)

This formula makes complete sense to riders of all genre and age. But sadly, the logic inherent in this formula is not so transparent to our loved ones. This is where each cyclist must face one of three paths in life.
1. Stay single and embrace the n+1 lifestyle to the fullest!
2. Find a loving and understanding partner who "gets" and supports n+1 (to some degree).
3.  Float somewhere between 1 and 2 until they find the right "fit," or give up the n+1 dream.

Luckily I have found myself firmly in option number 2 - and quite luckily at that!!  It wasn't until I was with Annie that I really got back into riding, and I had no idea how big a part of my life it would become... so thankfully Annie appreciates what biking does for me (which in turn pays off for her as she reaps the benefits of a happy me).  So, Annie is very supportive in my "collecting" of bicycles, but at the same time helps balance me out in not going overboard in bike hoarding.

In comes Doug's post yesterday.  Probably because I started back into mountain biking on Treks (4300, HiFi) but I've always had a thing for the Superfly SS.  Although the One9 had always been my dream bike, when the EBB was being a pain in the ass I was seriously looking at(for) a Superfly SS to take over.  I never found one, and the EBB II solved all my problems so the thought of the Superfly disappeared... until Doug put his up yesterday.

Do I need it?  Probably not.  After riding down Heartbreak on a rigid (and even parts of the Snake) I do see the benefit/need of having a squishy fork for some rides.  Could I just get a fork for the Glow Worm.  Yeah.  OR, I could get another SS with a squishy fork to support my laziness.... which also supports my want for it.

I do have the HiFi... with all of it's squishy glory just sitting around.  Which I should utilize on those "real mountain" rides.  But it's got gears.... and now I'm just being whiny.

I'm still up in the air with Doug's bike.  I've got the go ahead (if I want/need it and if I have the money to swing it right now) from Annie... so the internal debate rages.  Annie's one counterpoint - "you just got a bike."  Funny how quickly we forget our latest acquisition when another is on the horizon.

So here is a question for the bikers out there - do we need to amend the formula to some degree to account for timing of acquisitions?  Should the +1 only come after a certain amount of time has passed since the last +1? (I honestly have no idea what that formula would look like)

2 comments:

  1. Advocat sez: Ah, where does an 80mm fork fit into the stable equasion? Is this another "real" mountain bike, just with with minimal front squish and no gears? If its for real mountains, shouldn't it replace the HIFI (thus making the finances and family support much easier)? Or is this more of a "just wanna have it"?

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  2. 80mm is what I'd throw on the Glow Worm as well - for the geometry and arm savings over rigid. But yeah, it does fall under "wanna have" more than a different bike than what I already have. I mean, who do I think I am with multiple SS, Dicky?

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