Random Thoughts

I don't remember the last time I had a post that wasn't a RR or a GR, but I felt like posting today, so here are the bike-related issues on my mind:

R.I.P Del Mar Mesa
I just heard that the vast majority of the trails on the Del Mar Mesa are going to be closed as of this Monday. Apparently they are building homes up there, which makes me incredibly sad. I've only been MTB'ing for less than a year, so this is my first experience with a trail that I enjoy being closed/destroyed. I like riding LPQ/DMM, and the trails on top including the small and large intestines are about to be history. I've only ridden the large intestines, and am rather upset at the possibility that I'll never ride the little ones. I've spent the last two days trying to re-arrange my weekend to fit in a DMM ride, but at this point things look bleak. And I'm pretty upset.

New Bike Shopping
On a happier note, I've been researching new bikes for some time now, and with us receiving our tax refund this week, I'm getting closer and closer to making the dream of upgrading a reality. The problem is that I've been bouncing around all over the place. Used or new? Specialized or Yeti or Santa Cruz or Intense or Bionicon? What component group do I want/can I afford? SRAM or Shimano?

I'm experiencing a little paralysis by analysis, (which I think Rachel would think is a good thing, because it's keeping me from pulling the trigger...) I have been leaning towards buying used, just because its a much better value, but I'm still enough of a newbie that I don't want to get taken advantage of. I've heard horror stories about people purchasing cracked frames from ebay or craigslist and not having any recourse. But new high-end bikes are expensive. What I may try to do is find a new 2007 that some shop has lying around and grab that at a substantial discount. Or maybe I'll try to be patient until the end of the year and end up with a 2008 that's getting blown out to make room for the 2009's at that point...

A particular object of my obsession the last few days has been the Bionicon Golden Willow. It has some cool technology, which always appeals to me, and seems to be a pretty good climber even with 6" of front travel and almost 5" of rear travel. We'll see if this is actually the one, but its exciting to be shopping either way. I have a possible lead on a 2007 frame from a shop in OC, and if it works, I'd have to buy the components separately and have them build it up. Which is scary to me.

I suppose I should also make an effort to demo some of the bikes I'm considering before making the final decision. I mean, I wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first, and some of these bikes cost as much as a beater car, so I really need to get some demo's in soon.

A Weekend Without Rides?
I may not be able to ride at all this weekend, which is a bit of a bummer. I'll be in the desert for a bit, then have plans with Joel and Nichole so that we can spend some quality time before he leaves for the CHP Academy in a few weeks. If I can sneak a ride in somewhere, I will likely try to get over to LPQ/DMM for a farewell tour. We'll see...