More Toys = More OCD

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As if I needed something more to stroke my OCD, we are currently in the market for a new mountain bike (MTB) for N. Not only has he outgrown his current bike, but we are thinking that it's time for him to move up to some serious MTB equipment, namely a dual suspension unit. He currently rides a single suspension MTB with a “hardtail,” and it's worked out fine for almost all the riding he does, but as I think I may have mentioned, last summer we went up to the Northeast Kingdom and rode the ski trails at Burke Mountain, which were very cool. It became painfully apparent, however, that our bikes were completely inadequate. Not only were our bikes embarrassingly out of touch with MTB reality, but our protective gear was, as well. For the record, we were the only people riding hardtails, not to mention the only ones lacking proper helmets and padding (more on this later).

Riding was fine, but the trails were pretty hairy, at least for me. I rode down with N but couldn't even come close to keeping up with him, he flew down those trails. At some point I stopped even trying, and just let him do his own thing. I did notice, however, that even with my bike upgrade from my previous “rigid” frame, I was still getting bounced around pretty hard. You can see where a rear suspension would make the ride much more enjoyable. To add to the suffering (oh how we suffer), N took a spill. I don't think this is attributable to his bike, but he took a wrong turn and hit a tree, bruising his ribs enough to make him want to stop riding. At the very least, it made us realize he would have benefitted from better protective gear, which as I mentioned, all the other riders were sporting. This meant a full face-protecting helmet, much like a motorcycle helmet, and rib and shoulder protection. This is also known as body armor. When I first heard of this, I thought it was the usual commercial overkill, but now it totally made sense. I felt like I really screwed up and didn't prepare him for the worst.

The injuries did not turn out to be so bad (thankfully), but I sure learned a lesson on that one. I decided that for the next season, we would do things differently, and hopefully get things right. This meant proper protective gear, and maybe even a new bike. I can justify this because he's grown so much that his current bike is realistically a bit small. Of course, I did some research and looked into getting him a better/bigger bike, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that they're not cheap, especially for a frugality monger as myself. I don't even like spending more than $20 at the grocery store, never mind a MTB. And we're shopping on the low end. A high end bike, not the highest, mind you, but a really good MTB will set you back $4000-5000, easy. People don't blink an eye at spending that much, I couldn't believe it. You realize what keeps the economy humming, people like to spend money, especially guys and their toys.

This is going to take some research and maybe a little blood, sweat and tears. I've found that deals can be found if you have time (I do) and are willing to do the legwork (I am), but this journey can also result in plenty of disappointment and frustration. Believe me, I know all about disappointment and frustration, especially when things online are not as they seem... are they ever?

Used bikes are of course and option, but having perused more than my fair share of used surfboards and surf gear, not to mention skis, snowboards, and hockey equipment, sometimes buying used stuff is more of a hassle than it's worth. When it works out, it's great, it's just that it often does not. So we'll see where this adventure takes me. One thing for sure, there will be an interesting story to come out of it... oh yeah, and there's the issue of getting mom on board with this one. I think I have my work cut out for me.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mark Hodges for the pic.