This Saturday marks theee final mountain bike race in all of Colorado for 2009. And with my race bike up on the auction block I'll be racing the Sand Creek Fall Classic aboard my 17 year old titanium singlespeed this weekend. Yup, I still have, and regularly ride, a bike that is 17 years old.
Honestly, by today's standards, this bike's ride quality sucks. Its' friction cable actuated rim brakes squeal and skid around every corner, despite my best efforts to control it. It's a harsh, creaky ride built up with second-rate, leftover parts from the workbench...
A mish-mash of leftover sponsorship schwag from the mid-90's combined with a few modern-day comforts...
And right now, it's only got one gear. (But that's a whole 'nuther post...)
But this old bike is a pretty big part of me, nonetheless. From Junior National Championships in Michigan in '93 to the 24 Hours of Moab in '04 this bike and I have done some serious time...
Its' design is, well, antiquated. A little like skiing on your old 205 straight skis. Sure, back then you skied the hardest stuff on the mountain, but looking back on it you have no idea how you survived. It's had everything from a rigid fork to 5" of suspension. It's gone through 20 or so chains, been to the top of 13,000ft mountains, countless river crossings and worn out countless sets of tires...
But whenever I'm "in between race bikes," this sturdy backup has seen me through snow & ice, dirt & mud, day & night.
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