Satisfied

Last night I was flipping through Bike Magazine's "Bible of Bike Tests". The were gushing over the Specialized this, the Niner that, the Santa Cruz the other when I realized - I don't care. For a self-professed gearhead, tweaker, and tuner this is a pretty big admission.

I realized that I am totally satisfied with my mountain bike. I don't want newer, or more suspension travel (heck, ANY suspension...), or more gears. I built a bomb-proof, single-speed, hardtail 29er that is EXACTLY the bike I wanted. I think I did that as a result of three key things:

1. Focus - I knew exactly the end result I wanted. Simple, rigid, durable, and strong.
2. Patience - I didn't have to have it all at once. My wheels needed to get handled pretty quickly as the originals were fairly trashed. Beyond that I waited looking for deals or a little spare cash.
3. Enjoying the Process - the final build took about a year. What was cool was enjoying each new addition and how it improved my ride.

Sure, this bike limits me -- big hills are tough, as are really rooted, rutted trails. But I don't mind. It does a great job on the trails I enjoy riding. This truly is a purpose-built beast. Built for ME.

It's nice to be satisfied.

-Sean-