Time to break the silence

I can keep quiet no longer. I finally pulled the trigger after over 14 months agonizing over which bike I wanted to invest in. And it IS as serious as investing. Hardtail? Full-suspension? 29er? Fisher, Trek, Scott, Cannondale, Specialized, Felt, Giant? etc. etc. etc. and we haven't even discussed components. Where do you set your standards and still fit the whole package into your (my) budget? For me, everything came together at The Bike Way (http://thebikeway.com/) when I poured over what was soon to be my new love. A dead-sexy Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29'er. Our blessed union took place on July 23rd at 1:02 p.m. and the honeymoon is still in full swing. I truly love this bike and am absolutely ecstatic that I went with a hardtail 29'er. There's nothing that I've asked of this bike that it hasn't done with ease. Any mishaps (ok, so I went over the bars on my second outing) thus far have been strictly pilot error. As with everything you've heard about big wheels, this machine rolls over all in its path, climbs like a mountain goat and descends with ease. In fact, the speed at which it gathers on a downhill can catch you off guard if you're not careful. Luckily, the big and capable Avid Elixer brakes can save you in such situations. I now have a few miles on the bike (XTERRA B.O.L.T. triathlon, Dakota Five-0, countless laps around Tranquility and a ride at Swanson) and other than a loose spoke on the rear wheel, I've had zero problems. In fact, the bike just seems to get better with every ride. Or perhaps that's the rider...either way, I'm looking forward to many miles and years of wedded bliss ahead.

Cory, thought I'd repost this pic of you on that dead sexy beast. mw