Frkl

I would also say "the frame" is the tipping point, as a first reaction, but to muddy the waters a bit with a true story: I built up a mountain bike and for the most part was really happy with it. When I discovered that I had cracked the frame, I thought really long and hard about getting exactly the same frame and just moving the parts over to it. I ultimately didn't. But I wonder, if I had, would it have been the same for me?

There was some talk about "forever bikes" a while ago, and the idea of a bike that stays frozen always seemed like a strange idea to me because bikes are so wonderfully mutable. Bike are just begging to be modified yet have a constant distinct character all the same. Maybe I misunderstood the idea, though.