Serious A.D.D.

I've got problems, serious problems. To anyone who reads this blog (or rides themselves for that matter) you know that bike lust is an everyday occurance. There is always something out there that gets my panties moist. Usually my lust is directed at one, maybe two things. This time of year, I'm usually trying to decide what to race next year and if a new bike aquisition will be made or not. That's nothing new. What is new, is the number of bikes that I feel like I MUST HAVE!

Item numero uno is next season's race rig. The Selma all geared up worked quite well last season but I missed being able to chose on a day to day basis whether I wanted to run gears or SS so she needs to go back to SS duty next season. As mentioned before, I plan to move up to the elite class in EFTA next year and if I have any hope of not embarrassing myself I'll need all the weapons I can gather. There are a couple of courses in the series that an SS can be competitive in any day of the week, throw in nasty weather and an SS can shine so I need that at my disposal. There were also some races that you needed to be a serious meth head to WANT to race a single speed. So, a geared bike needs to be in the arsenal next season.

Will it be option 1, a Salsa Spearfish?

Or option 2, a Santa Cruz Tallboy

I've talked about their virtues a few times recently but I can't seem to decide.  A while back I got to ride a demo Tallboy and while I loved it through the rough stuff, I felt it wallowed while climbing.  I chalked it up to a faulty rear shock but KillBill just picked up his own Tallboy and said that the two ride identical so it may be that I really don't like full suspension.  I liked it back in the days when I raced a carbon fuel and I'm told that bike (at least back then) sucked but I loved it so I can't imagine I wouldn't love a modern full suspension but who wants to lay down 4g's only to hate it's carbon soul and the Taiwanese freighter it rode in on?  The Spearfish is an unknown to me since it's so new.  Early reports are that it handles and climbs well but a certain someone put it in my ear that since it's aluminum it will be flexy as hell.  Of course this is the same someone who, just last season, poo-poo'd me for my 29'er only to have one himself now so I try not to pay attention but the bug is still there.  Thankfully, there are reviews out there that say exactly what I want to hear:

"It was very efficient up the paved on the loose climbs. The three inches of suspension action is a bit stiff. Compared to the many multilink and higher travel bikes that I tried, this one was not quite active. The design does not sit much into the rear travel and sems to be optimized more for pedaling efficiency."

That right there is how I would describe my perfect race bike.  A rear that is not super active and is geared more for pedaling efficiency than small bump compliance but can still gobble up the bigger stuff.  I may have answered my own question right there.


But, but, but, there's more.  As you know, I've also been lusting after the Salsa Mukluk.  I've wanted a snow bike for years but could never pull my shit together.  With Salsa's introduction of the Mukluk things changed pretty quickly.  All of a sudden I needed to have one NOW.  Sadly, despite Marcy giving me her blessing (bless her!) on the purchase, none seem to be available because demand is so high.

Team manager Big Al says not to despair, he'll have one to me with plenty of snow left but I've got an itch in my pants that needs a scratchin.

Lets see here.  I was also this close (imagine me holding my thumb and forefinger close together) to picking up a cyclocross frame.  The shop has a Redline Conquest Disc frame available for uber cheap and it would function very well as my new commuter/ghetto cross race bike for next season.    Thankfully, I get the cross itch every fall but it subsides come January so I hope that one will pass.

and finally, at least for big ticket items, I had hoped to pick up some new spinners for the road bike for next season.  My Bonty Race's have been good wheels but they're old, the breaking surface is getting worn and they are heavy.  What do I want instead?  A set of Ultegra tubeless compatible rims of course.  They are not the most chi-chi wheels out there but they'd shave well over a half pound off my bike and allow me to go tubeless which would be a dream come true.  Throw in some tubeless juice and you've got many miles of (almost) worry free riding.  Me wants.

I've seriously run out of time so the rest of my list will have to wait for later.