week one: post decision

Deciding to go makes everything a bit more real.  Celebrated by attacking a job I found weirdly intimidating:  re-building a fox float after six years of (joyful) neglect.  Turns out that internet videos, patience, and will are all that’s required.  Everything looks great.

It feels as if I haven’t bought any bike toys for a decade.  That’s what contentment and kids will do.  Toys arrived all this week:  front rack from Old Man Mountain; cycling tights; and a sleeping bag liner.  Now I just have to find the tent and start gathering the rest of stuff I’ve only used in bits and pieces.

Update:  backcountry espresso machine ravaged by time.  Must find alternate.

post rebuild -- still looks pretty

post rebuild -- not as scary as I thought

 

 

Here’s the plan

The bike:  Trek Fuel 90 from about 2003.  Broke the main triangle and cracked a chainstay jumping off rocks.  It took a year, but Trek replaced both parts.  This is a lot like replacing the whole bike, except that they didn’t have an aluminum rear triangle handy, so this is actually a carbon rear triangle.  I still weigh about 225 lbs and I certainly haven’t become more graceful, so I’ve tried to be more careful with the bike.

Here’s the stuff planned:

  1. rebuild the front shock.
  2. get a trailer to keep some weight off the back.
  3. replace the entire chain/cluster/ring system.
  4. add a nice front rack (to keep more weight off the back).
  5. add more hand positions.
  6. add some appropriate tires.
  7. (pie in the sky) replace levers and shifters (beat up in crashes)