Bicycles on the brain

Sooner or later, my thoughts turn to bicycles. I'm not sure why. I never used to have this problem, but it's been plaguing me for some years now.

I'm in the market for a new bike. There is an element to which I am always in the market for a new bike, it's just that I can usually remind myself that I have two perfectly good bikes at home (and an assortment of other bike-like things for my own personal amusement). Lately, though, I have come to conclusion that I don't have two perfectly good bikes at home. I have one bike that has served me well and is now in need of a well-deserved retirement, and one bike that never really did what I wanted it to do.

I had wanted a bike that would serve as a touring bike, but also as a commuting bike and maybe, when I felt up for such things, could also be called into service as a mountain bike. I was told the Giant Sedona would cover those bases, but it's really only any good as a commuter (you need a little off-road capabilities to commute by bike in Townsville). Having ridden it for a couple of years, I wouldn't want to tour or try my hand at cross country with it.

Plus, as it was the first bike I had owned that wasn't women's specific in the design, I decided to play it safe and get a size smaller than I should have - just to ensure clearance. I have come to regret that decision.

So, now I find myself needing to replace one bike and wanting to replace the other.

I've been eyeing off the Salsa Fargo as a replacement for the Giant Sedona, and I was all set to go and order one when I became thoroughly distracted by the Brompton folding bike.

Folding bikes intrigue me, and I think it might be an idea to replace the old faithful city bike with something I might be able to take on a plane. The Fargo wouldn't really be an easy bike to take on a plane...

So I think I've talked myself into putting off the 29inch wheels in favour of a bike with 16inch wheels. Just for now. I'm still looking at having the Fargo or something like it, but there's a limit to how many $2,500 bikes I can get at once.

But the other night I had the strangest dream that there was a folding bike club located at the university, and they all had bikes that were in traditional Nerf colours. I blame the Nerfpunk people. Sadly, in this dream, I wasn't cool enough to hang out with the nerf-coloured-folding-bicycle crowd. They told me where I could find the application forms to join, but made it clear they didn't think I'd get approved.

It's probably just as well. In my dream I couldn't figure out how to ride a bike past a street lamp.

By the way, is it weird that, even though I'm not involved in the cosplay scene, I still want to buy a Nerf gun and make a steampunk prop out of it?