So I've recently been debating the purchase of a mountain bike. And also a track bike. One of those non-road contraptions. And, I can only afford to buy one bike. After some thought, I've come to this conclusion: I'll be joining the ranks of the pot-smoking MTB hippy crowd soon enough. Minus the mary jane habit. Do people still call it that?

Anyways, I made my decision based on several things. First, I hate riding my (road) bike indoors during the winter. It is a mind numbing exercise in self flagellation. Aside for the odd interval session during which a power meter is useful, I have no need to ride indoors. So, why not ride the Prairie Path on an MTB and get out of the house for a couple of hours. Also, I can ride an MTB safely (it DOES have brakes, after all) damn near anywhere I want to, any time I want to. I can't really do that with a track bike. The MTB also offers the ability to help me enhance my bike handling skills in a relatively safer environment; crashing into a tree at 10mph will almost certainly cause less damage than hitting the banking on the 'drome at 30, or sliding into a curb on the road at similar speeds. And finally, I can borrow a bike at the track, each and every time I want to go there. Bring my own wheels, and maybe a couple of rear cogs, and go from there. Not to mention, I find it ridiculous that I can buy a full-race MTB for the same price as an entry level track bike. That right there might have been the deciding factor.

And, for a "real life" update; don't expect people you've talked to 4 times since high school to feel any obligation to call you back or want to hang out with you. That might have been a bit unrealistic on my part. Lesson learned. Hopefully I'll go out for the night and get that out of my mind for a while.