Day-Dreaming: Cranky's Dreamy Mountain Bike

When I re-started this blog, I'd meant to post more often, but as it always does, life got in the way. For instance, this last week I started my last course for graduate school, Schooling in American Society. The professor who teaches the class is stationed in Blacksburg, but once a summer comes up to Falls Church to teach the graduate students working out of the National Capital Region campus, students like me. As he prefers to do it, we do the semester in two intensive weeks - each day for 4 hours, with all the reading and writing outside of class. This last week was pretty a lot of work: read 2 entire books, wrote a six page paper, and taught a 2 hour class. Next week will be crazier: two more books to read, two more six page paper,s and a twenty-plus page group research paper. The only thing getting me through this is knowing that the end is so close!

How am I supposed to get in the mood to blog when I'm already writing so much? I'll tell you how: ride 30 mi. and run 6 mi. (or however long it takes you to get tired) and then sit down to do research on the role that public schools play in preparing students for college. Suddenly, even doing laundry sounds appealing!

So, here I am avoiding the research...

Usually when I'm avoiding something, I surf the internet reading about bikes. I can kill several hours this way. I like to think it's a little more active than TV, but - let's be honest here - it's probably not. In any case, Cali cruelly dropped the hint that we might have some money to put toward a new bike for me, seeing as I'm actively trying to kill my current bikes. Well, it didn't take much prodding before I was researching like crazy for my dream mountain bike. (If only college prep were so interesting a topic!) Some background info:

Goals: For me, a good mountain bike ride has some flowy singletrack, some tricky technical stuff, some crazy climbs, and some fun descents. I'm not into super technical trails or insane stunts. I want a solid XC machine with solid components that I can ride aggressively. And I want options. Singlespeed, geared, rigid, suspended - I want a versatile frame. Also: steel frame, high volume tires, mechanical disc brakes, lockout fork.

Constraints: I would love to get a King headset and hubs, X.0 components, a custom Ti Independent Fabrications frame... But let's be honest: I'll never be able to afford the bling I lust after, so I'll settle for the value-oriented.

Additional Notes: I'd LOVE to build this bike up myself. I've never built up an entire bike, but I have always wanted to. I could spend a few months collecting parts (hopefully finding some good deals), then take a weekend to build 'er up. It'd be a blast and a great learning experience.

That being said, I'm proud to announce the results of my exhaustive and thorough study:

Cranky's Dreamy Mountain Bike

Frame: Vassago Jabberwocky (with optional GearPlug for setting up as a 1x9 transmission)
Fork: RST M29* (with lockout)
Wheels: Velocity Blunt rims laced to XT hubs, Kenda Nevegal tires
Drivetrain: Shimano LX crankset (single 32T chainring with bashguard), SRAM chain (with PowerLink), SRAM cassette (11-34), SRAM X.9 Derailer (medium cage), SRAM X.9 shifter (right/rear only)
Others: Avid BB7 disc brakes, Cane Creek headset, Carbon* handlebar and seatpost (probably Easton), Thompson* stem, Crank Bros. Candy pedals, comfy Oury Grips, tried-and-true WTB saddle
* = may change, depending on budget constraints

Not bad, eh? I'm planning on demo-ing a Jabberwocky, hopefully before the end of the summer. From what I've read, its got a great geometry - puts you comfortably "in" the bike, takes a bit of the sting out of rough trails, and is fast.

Now, onto my dream road bike...

(Come on?!? Do you think I could focus on school work all frothed-up with bike lust, like I am now?)