Ah, the old "I can't answer you unless you ask a better/more specific question" ploy. ;-)
I'm always looking for someone to unwittingly tell me what do. But I'll admit it. I don't really need anything. If I did (oh noes, my bike has completely disintegrated!1!!!1!), I could probably sort out a plan pretty quick. I ride around 100 times per year all over the west (from Arizona and Utah to British Columbia, and all points in between), and I'm currently well equipped with a nice gravel bike (Evil Chamois Hagar) and a nice mountain bike (Pivot Switchblade). To suggest that I need to do anything more than maintain and keep fresh tires on them would be absurd. But I'm a man. And I have weaknesses. And buying a bike would be fun. But a ship with no destination is rudderless.
Do I (prematurely) replace my Switchblade? Does 300 rides qualify me for a trade-in? It's pretty far from worn out. But that We Are One Arrival looks sexy, as do the Alchemy Arktos, Revel Rail 29, and a few others.
Do I keep my 'Blade and experiment with a shorter travel bike? Hello Transition Smuggler, Pivot Trail 429, and others!
Do I buy a hardtail in the name of "something different" and "it's a backup"? I haven't ridden a hardtail with geometry newer than 1998 vintage. I'll bet they feel different than my old hardtail with the Marzocchi Bomber fork and angles steeper than El Capitan. A steel Tyaughton would be a cool way to get in the game. Or this Trek thingie. Or a Kona.
The correct response to me is probably to tell me to get some help. (Feel free! Jump in the queue!) But I'm always curious about people's gut reactions, so I'll take those too.
June 5, 2023, 7:32 p.m. - Jerrod Snyder
Ah, the old "I can't answer you unless you ask a better/more specific question" ploy. ;-) I'm always looking for someone to unwittingly tell me what do. But I'll admit it. I don't really need anything. If I did (oh noes, my bike has completely disintegrated!1!!!1!), I could probably sort out a plan pretty quick. I ride around 100 times per year all over the west (from Arizona and Utah to British Columbia, and all points in between), and I'm currently well equipped with a nice gravel bike (Evil Chamois Hagar) and a nice mountain bike (Pivot Switchblade). To suggest that I need to do anything more than maintain and keep fresh tires on them would be absurd. But I'm a man. And I have weaknesses. And buying a bike would be fun. But a ship with no destination is rudderless. Do I (prematurely) replace my Switchblade? Does 300 rides qualify me for a trade-in? It's pretty far from worn out. But that We Are One Arrival looks sexy, as do the Alchemy Arktos, Revel Rail 29, and a few others. Do I keep my 'Blade and experiment with a shorter travel bike? Hello Transition Smuggler, Pivot Trail 429, and others! Do I buy a hardtail in the name of "something different" and "it's a backup"? I haven't ridden a hardtail with geometry newer than 1998 vintage. I'll bet they feel different than my old hardtail with the Marzocchi Bomber fork and angles steeper than El Capitan. A steel Tyaughton would be a cool way to get in the game. Or this Trek thingie. Or a Kona. The correct response to me is probably to tell me to get some help. (Feel free! Jump in the queue!) But I'm always curious about people's gut reactions, so I'll take those too.