Lust

I have pretty much decided that I am replacing my faithful mtb with a new one.

That’s my awesome, classic Ti mountain bike. Worm and I have had so many adventures together. Heck, I went to the ER for the first time ever because of Worm. (Ok, maybe that wasn’t Worm’s fault, but I was on Worm for that.) Worm and I raced Whiteface (twice) and Leadville. Worm is a great bike.  When I was riding up Columbine one guy said “Wow a Basso MTB. I had one of those, best bike I ever owned.” Worm has a soul.

I could upgrade Worm. I found a place that will weld disc brake bosses onto the back of the frame. (He is rim brake only right now.) That would address one of Worm’s biggest problems. I could change the wheel set and put tubeless wheels on him.

In the end though, Worm is not the right bike for the kind of racing/riding I am doing. I really should be on something with a 29″ wheel. They really are better for distance/endurance racing. Worm will never take any wheel bigger than a 26″ wheel (yes I tried to get a 650b wheel into him, it won’t work. I would have done that in a heartbeat).

So I am on the hunt. My coach is a strong proponent of carbon (Felt in particular, he rides for Felt). Its light and stiff. Somehow its not me though. I am having a hard time seeing myself on a carbon mass produced bike. They lack something. They lack Worm’s soul.

I began to search the world of Ti bikes for “my” 29’er. There are a lot of frame builders out there. Custom US, generic Chinese, even some Russian frames. Moots? Holy heck, even for expensive bikes they are expensive. Chinese? I hear some good things and some bad things.

Then I stumbled onto what I hope will be my bike. Here is a picture

That my friends is a Salsa El Mariachi Ti. Read the description. That bike has me written all over it. That bike has soul. That’s a bike you could ride in Leadville, or Whiteface……… or on the Tour Divide.

(I am trying to find a new home for Worm. New human must love him and appreciate him as much as I do.)