Internet Bicycle Fetishes
Surfing the 'net is sometimes like swirling around in a torrent of sinkwater going down the drain. Most of the detritus can swish right past you (like the 'Don't Bleach - Single mom discovers 1 simple trick to turn yellow teeth white from home'...ads that are on my LJ right now), but occasionally an idea will stick. I think I have quite a bit of obsessiveness in my make up, and so when an idea sticks, it can sometimes wreak a little havoc on the world around me. For instance, yesterday, I realised that due to the still strong exchange rate against the Pound, I could build myself a Surly Long Haul Trucker for touring with specs slightly above the ready-built model for about $1,200. The cheapest price I've seen for a domestic built up LHT is $1,800. You can get them in full from the US/UK for around $1,100 plus postage but as soon as something gets shipped that's value is over $1,000 you get hit with GST & a special 5% bicycle duty. The best thing is that with Wiggle & Chain Reaction UK having free shipping deals over a certain spend, the only shipping I would have to pay is for the frameset ($60) and for the brake levers which will come from ebay.
Anyway, if I wasn't browsing the internet all the time the LHT/xtracycle/fixie ideas probably wouldn't have occured to me, and the house wouldn't be as full of bikes! But I would still be working out touring on a Malvern Star MTB which may or may not have made it across the nullabor!
Anyway, if I wasn't browsing the internet all the time the LHT/xtracycle/fixie ideas probably wouldn't have occured to me, and the house wouldn't be as full of bikes! But I would still be working out touring on a Malvern Star MTB which may or may not have made it across the nullabor!