Now that my old Rocky Mountain bike frame is RIP, there is both sadness and glee in my riding heart. I will miss that old frame. And yet, now I am free to purchase a new one.
We can’t really afford it. However, I have impressed upon my wife that I am a riding shark: I must move forward (on wheels, on dirt), or I shall surely perish.
I’m happy that she believes this is so, because it is true. Riding is my drug of choice. And need.
So, after a few weeks of checking craigslist, ebay, and local bike shop (LBS) sales voraciously, I have found a new oh-so-sweet ride: a 2010 Felt Virtue Team, size large.
It’s way light, way cool looking. Chosen by Outside Magazine as the best ride of the year–in the 2007 Summer Buyer’s Guide.
It has a one-of-a-kind suspension element, called the Equilink. It’s supposed to eliminate all pedal bob when climbing, and then, when you aim it toward sea level, it’s said to handle like a downhill bike, with 5 inches of suspension.
I haven’t ridden one, yet–I know, stupid, but what the heck, I’m no expert in feeling out subtle gradations of machinery and geometry, I just ride. But I’ve been interested in the Felt for a while now. And I like how the Equilink looks like a large wad of bubble gum that’s been stuck to the frame and stretched to its limit. And perhaps this is mostly a guy thing, but it’s very much fun to check out gear. And buy new gear. Impulsively. After much research.
We’ll see how it goes. The mellow, friendly, and unpretentious guys at Golden Bike Shop are stripping down the Rocky and building up the new frame. It should be ready by Tuesday, and if I’m lucky and don’t catch my wife’s gnarly cold, I might squeeze a ride in sometime this week.
Like a kid in a candy store, I am. With a gob of new bubble gum.
Rocky Mountain Biker 