again i remember...

cockpit of the tequila...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

why sram kicks ass. i upgraded the tequila just recently. changed it to a nine speed. i was having trouble with the whole grip shift/eight speed set up. so instead of 'fixing' the problem; i fixed the problem.

x point nine is the goal. shifters. rear derailleur. is the set up so far. i figured that these are the most important now. and holy shit. is the shifting so exact. just one push of a button, and i'm in. great craftsmanship. i didn't go x point zero, simply because it is not my intention to make this an all out kick ass cross country bike. plus i could not justify the price jump. (this coming from a guy who owns two moots)

also; new stem, and brake levers. when this bike is finally done (which won't be for a while) it will be kick ass. hell, it already is.

big note...have you ever been on your bike, and have pulled something so cool off that you had a hard time believing it? well, that happened to me today. i went out on the tequila for a 'test ride' (first ride with the x point nine) to the post office, and i was coming home. i was stopped by a red light; which i didn't know how soon it would turn. so i decided to kick into a track stand. and wouldn't you know it...i held that track stand pretty damn well on a freewheel. didn't move. just held it. it seemed like a minute, but it was probably more like twenty seconds. pulled up to the next light. and held it again. how about that shit? learn something new everyday.

also my riding philosophy has changed. i'm taking up the philosophy (or at least the idea behind) kierkegaard's quote of: ‘you must, with the same humanitarian enthusiasm as the others, undertake to make something harder.’

that worth having is not easily gotten.

amitabha...