Well folks, I've had my first relapse.
I was browsing around (fun to do), and lo and behold, a Trek 970 pops up and I see the ad literally 1 minute after it is posted. It is the price of a few Starbucks drinks and tips - I would be an absolute DUMMY for not picking it up. I even announced to the wife "Yeah I'm picking up a bike!". She just sort of chuckled, but she knows I've gotten rid of a lot, so its all good.
Owner was cool, we chatted bikes and bike carriers for a while. I actually gave him a bit more than he was asking, since it is tough to find great people to deal with, and I want to really appreciate those transactions.
I have a '96 Trek 990, which was the highest end Trek steel mtb in the catalog, and I've always wondered how one of the lugged versions would compare. For a while, I had a (I think?) 1992 Trek 990 in a large (23"?) size that I sold for a non-profit, but seeing as how the fit was so big, I never got a really great feel for the bike (although I did get a feel for the stock suspension fork, back when suspension was sort of new - it was a pogo stick!
) and didn't keep it that long - the day I posted it for sale, I got over 20 emails!
Anyway, what is cool about this one is it is also a 16.5" frame, exactly like my 990, but even cooler - it is a '93, which is the best year for these lugged Treks, as they have a slightly wider spaced headtube (which I didn't realize), and came with a threadless fork.
The thing is almost cherry, and even came w/ a pair of Ringle Holey ti-Stix, so technically the bike should be more than free by the time we're done
.
I know. I know. I have taken a step backward. But. I'm also going to be moving two bikes this weekend, and if those *officially* leave my possession, I'll still be down -1 bike this weekend. However, in the interest of transparancy, and to my slight embarassment (not really, no shame!), here is where I stand:
Bikes: 17
Frames: 3
Most recent purchase: 3/23/24
Annnnnnnnd...here she is in all her glory:
You can see I'm continuing my cherished tradition of buying 'too small' bikes