The Bike Gods are Speaking to Me

So yeah, I go reach in the fridge for a snack and realize the aluminum lid of my yogurt has Trek all over it. Maybe this is meant to take me the Trek way. Maybe I'm reading too into it.

The final three hard tails that I'm considering

It's really just adding three more bike and a new color option to one of the bikes I showed below. The new bikes ares probably a bad decision in terms of how high I can go in price, I've seen them from $1300 to $1800, so I think its a pipe dream for right now but the 8000 is so beautiful. Here's the latest two-wheel drive action:

1. 2010, Trek, 8000, 2-toned Matte White/Matte Platinum (drool)
   
   
2. 2010, Trek, 6500, 2-toned Matte White/Matte Blue
   
3. 2010, Trek, 6700, 2-toned Gloss Black/Pearl White
   I think that sums it all up. I think that if I were to get any other mountain bike than the ones I've listed here thus far it'd be something used from Craigs, older bikes, a modded or custom made bike, if any.

The 8000 upgrades from the 6700 (shown below), mostly in part to the upgrade RockShox Reba fork and Trek's own "Alpha Red Aluminum" frame which is the lightest and stiffest frame Trek makes before upgrading to a carbon fiber ride. Allegedly, and as it should be expected, The Trek 8000 would be a bike that'd last for years and years and would probably be the fastest hard tail I'd ever own. Trek also has a 6 month 0% financing option which makes this move even more appealing.

For the full bike compare between the Trek 8000, 6700, and 6500, checkout this link. The MSRPs are listed but thats usually the highest price you should expect to pay for these. Any bike shop I've been to has, without heavy heckling or discussion, advertised lower prices.

One More Mountain Bike to Investigate

I actually went browsing Giant's website a little more after having a discussion with my friend Chris Funk yesterday. He shared with me that he spent some time managing a bike shop and claimed that Giant carries better componentry for your dollar than other brands. This whole time for some reason I've had the opposite impression. I've felt that it was just a brand you were paying for but after a deeper dive and some investigation, I found a bike to compete in my lineup. Here's a new hardtail contender:

1. 2010, Giant, XTC 1, Black with white and blue accents
   The components are only a 'hair' better than the Tassajara on my previous post. Aesthetically I think its kind of classy, like a tux for mountain bikes. I also think color mods would actually look pretty cool if I try to personalize. As far as looks go, however, I'm still torn between the Tassajara and the XTC 1. I think my next point of investigation is how does the Giant warranty compare to the Gary Fisher warranty and then cross-examine model-specific reviews.

At the moment, this point in time, I'm in-between this bike, the 2010 XTC 1, and the 2010 Gary Fisher, Tassajara.

Monday. Laundry. Music. Prints.

The weekend was good because there was lots of bike riding for Charity, fun, and the sake of getting dirty on both days. Actually there was no time to do chores so today I took it upon myself to get on my laundry and clean.

Laundry Mondays are weird. The music progression has been all about The Pixies and PJ Harvey, and the result is definitely obscure. Getting home from work I noticed traffic had amplified about 3x from the usual and couldn't help deciding that it must be the holiday frenzy that has everyone losing their fuzzy warbles.

Thanks to MeMelodia I discovered this pretty sweet site - Visual Technicians - that sells various kick ass screen prints. My favorite are Bill Murray, The Gun Show, Mad Max, The Beastie Boys, and Jason Lee. Most of these are sold out. I think it'd be a great venture to collect every Bill Murray film, all the Mad Maxs, and compile the best film scenes with The Beastie Boys sampled. (Mad Max isn't sold out. wink ;)) That'd be quite the project anyhow. Just under these words is an example of Castle Greyskull which was way ahead of its time and is coming soon to the print making shop.

I actually owned the toy model but have no inkling of a fraction of a thought or idea of how it was disposed of or what its destiny became.

My Ol' Dual-Suspension Mongoose SX 6.7 is for Sale

Checkout the reviews from mtbr.com here.

Product Summary:

Dual-suspension bikes allow anyone to ride longer and stronger on the mountain, but they're more of a luxury than a necessity for the first-time rider. However, this year(1999) finds many dualies, like the SX, slumming at unimaginably low prices, which make them extremely attractive first-time buys.

Strengths: An RST 281 fork with two inches of travel in front, three inches of travel in back, a journeyman 24-speed Alivio drivetrain with fingertip shifters, toe clips and a stunning brushed-metal aluminum frame.

Weaknesses: As you improve, you'll wish you had an extra inch of travel up front to match the suspension in back.

Bottom line: The SX is a great buy for the serious first-timer. As a bonus, it's the world's most beautiful budget bouncer. Take it anywhere to bring out its ugly side ($679).

My Take:

I bought it for $449 in 2000 brand new. Since then I’ve barely used it. It’s seen the most use in the last two years where I’ve begun taking it to Oleta State River Park and Amelia Earhart Park for their single track trails. I also used it at the Bike Miami ride and used it to vote for change in the 2008 election.

It’s available for sale now for $250 or best offer.

I will probably be upgrading to a Trek Mountain Hardtail 6000, (hi-res pic here). What I would like to buy is a full-suspension Trek FUEL EX 8, (hi-res pic here in rootbeer/white). I decided on Trek because of their brand name, their designs, and quality components. If anyone has any suggestions otherwise, please send them my way. See you in the trails.