To put this in context we need to go back to
1980-something. I was the only kid on
the block without a CD player. It’s not
that I didn’t get that CDs made more sense than albums, it’s just I had
difficulty letting go. And I’m cheap. The CD selection was pretty thin back then so I announced
to my friends that I would not buy a CD player until Rush’s album Caress of Steel came out on disc. Not only was it my favorite album but it was
obscure enough to buy me some time. Shortly
thereafter, Denny gave me a Caress of
Steel CD for my birthday. He knew I
still wasn’t going to get a CD player anytime soon. I wasn’t finished tearing off the birthday
wrapping when Denny asked to borrow it.
Let’s skip forward 30 years to last weekend. I met Denny and his wife in Traverse City for
Mud, Sweat, and Beers. They picked up
their new custom hand built Chris King bedazzled Quiring tandem on the way there. A beautiful bike, so beautiful it made the hair on the back of
my neck stand up.
I've wanted a Quiring since, I duno, 1999. Sometimes I search the Michigan Mountain Biking classifieds, Craig’s List, and ebay looking
for a one that fits my dimensions and budget. This lustful fascination with finding the
right bike certainly gives a quick glimpse into my soul and all the muck that
surrounds it there.
I go back and forth on buying a Quiring. A $1,600 steel frame is a none too subtle
display of conspicuous consumption and I avoid such stupid narcissistic
behavior because I am afraid I really am narcissistic and stupid. Why advertise. I do have a beautiful steel hand built Inglis
single speed but in Michigan this brand is obscure enough to go undetected by
all but the most astute bike geeks. Anyway,
it is a 26er and has bosses for V-brakes.
I want a Quiring 29er geared bike to replace my Tomac
carbon fiber XC bike. I am the last person
still racing a 26er and although I don’t know what the fatigue life of carbon
fiber is, god damn it must be getting close.
Last Wednesday I saw someone listed a Quiring on ebay. It is exactly how I would have ordered it
from Scott Quiring, down to the thru rear axle and bb30 bottom bracket, if life
was such that I could just go order a custom frame from Scott Quiring. I saw the bicycle on the MMBA classifieds
before. Apparently the owner got no
bites locally so he went to ebay. I
imagine Quiring frames are as obscure outside of Michigan as Inglis’ are here. This makes me think he won’t get a lot for it
on ebay and I see he doesn’t have a reserve price. The auction ends today at 3:00 PM. I keep nervously checking where the bids
are. It is currently within my budget.
What if the bids go above what I can spend with
a clear conscience? What then? I like(d) Specialized but all the suing they
do to keep their name pure makes them look silly. I like(d) Trek but I think they are going to
get all mixed up in the US Postal Team drama and eventually someone will figure
out they knew about some crazy high-end bike for EPO trade or something. The bigger issue is both these companies are
too mainstream; it is hard to be all narcissistic and stuff when a thousand
other people have the same bike as you.
Maybe a Niner. No, those bicycles
are beautiful and the company is the right size but I want off the carbon fiber
bandwagon. I want a domestic steel frame
with beautiful tig welds; a subtle charm most people can’t see. That does it.
I must win that Quiring off ebay.
I will know in about an hour.
