Let's Face the Facts

It was finally time to add a road bike to my stable, and since this will by my 4th bike, I've come to accept the fact that I am a bike polygamist.

So far the flock includes:

The obligatory trendy hipster fixie

an SE Lager bought WAAAAY back in two thousand and seven. It looks a bit different now, drop bars, and blacked out. The only original parts are the frame, fork, and headset. Everything else that came with it has broken, or caught fire, and subsequently replaced with the insurance money from said fire. I enjoy this bike quite a bit; it's nothing special, but it's low maintenance and fun to ride.

Up next is the dirt jumper...

...an Atomlab Traildigger. This bike reminds me that I will never be able to bunny hop more than 2 inches off of the ground, and that I will never huck the gnar steez triple endo, but that's OK. It's the bike I ride when I just want to hop on something and get an espresso, and/or thai food, then usually more espresso, then urgently find a bathroom. Honestly, this bike makes me feel like a kid again. Pure fun.

Then came the 29er...

...a Specialized M4 (I don't know what that means) 29er (I know what that means); shown here in it's native habitat, also known as my cubicle.

My buddy Jim and I are quite possibly the worst mountain bikers ever, so bad, that I tried to mountain bike on the Atomlab for a season, and realized that riding a single-speed adult-sized BMX is quite possibly the most punishing way to climb a hill, let alone tackle a 35 mile ride on the Colorado Trail in which we almost died in the forest. Twice. Maybe three times. It got fuzzy and dark for a while there. Now that I have a proper mountain bike we've been on a few mountain rides, and I am happy to say, have not died. Well, Jim died, but just for a minute or two. This bike brought me back to the reality that is a geared drivetrain. Yes, it takes more maintenance, and yes, it is more expensive, but the versatility simply cannot be replaced at my skill level (low to lower than low). I'm sure there are people out there riding single-speed MTBs that could drop me on a climb like a sack of metaphors, but I am OK with that.

Then came the Surly

I made a little extra money (I wasn't turning tricks, I swear. Are you a cop? You know if you are a cop, you have to tell me, right?), and decided to spend it on a road bike. Several of my friends are roadies, and in fact, Jim is an amazing road biker. Certainly not the worst ever, far from it! I'd like to go on some road rides with my friends, and see if I can do one of these century rides that they are always yapping about. The following entries will document the build process, my mistakes, some small house fires, hospital visits, and hopefully result in a complete bike that a human could ride.