I dont think I'll ever have enough bikes

How many bikes is the right number to have?Keeping in mind that you should pay attention to all of them.Lets go down the list.Road/Race Racing Bike,Road/Race Training Bike,Mtn Bike/29er,Single Speed Mtn Bike/29er,Full Suspension Mtn Bike/29er,Cruiser,At least 1 CX(cyclocross) bike,TT(time trial) bike,Track Bike, Commuter or Beater bike....hmmmm there has to be more than that but all i am saying is that i dont have enough.Which was made abundantly clear this morning when my friends and i went on a mega mtn bike excursion before we had to work.I woke up at the wee hour of 545 in order to make sure i got some adequate riding time in.We were to meet at 7-730 am in the first parking lot at Palos.I was there just after 7 and was the only person there until Darryl showed up about 15 mins later.Darryl has never ridden a mtn bike off road ever before in his life.More on that later.When i was in the lot there was a older man also just getting ready to go out for a ride.We spoke briefly about riding and we discussed several trails in the area.I mentioned that i had an fair amount of single track by my house in Plainfield.Never having heard of these trails before he was interested but i had to shut down his request for their location due to the fact that they are a secret and are only known to those who are worthy of knowing the main trail keeper, my friend Bryan.The man took off onto his ride and there i was waiting.After Darryl arrived,Nick showed up shortly after that.And then there was 3.I have never met Nick before but we work at the same bike shop in Chicago but at different locations.I knew tho, that when Nick pulled his bike out that he knew his way around in the dirt.I was relieved because i thought i was going to be riding with a bunch of beginners all day.We all got ready while waiting for our other friends and co-workers and by then it was 745.I hate it when people are late for the ride.Normally on our thursday nite ride we only have a 10 min grace period and then your solo.A call was put in to determine the whereabouts of the rest of our party and they were expected in another 15 mins.Great a whole 30 mins late.FML.I could've slept later. I was there a whole freakin hour before we actually rode.Finally everyone got there and it was time to dance.On the ride roster was Me, Lad, Benjy, Nick, Darryl, Seyamak, Alfredo, and Charles.Half of the group was beginners so we were kind of screwed.I am all for getting people on bikes but bringing them to Palos on one of their if not their very first ride is asking alot out of them.Its kind of like a bad parent teaching their kids to swim by throwing them in.Oh well.All started out well with some gnarly downhills, switchbacks, logs, rocks, burms, and other awesome natural features.We had to stop frequently to get the group on the same trail if we were making a transition to a new one but all in all it was a great ride.We had some wicked terrain that i cant believe the new guys handled really well.Big drops, Huge rocks, blind downhills, tight turns, and just all in all pretty expert stuff.There were a few crashes by them but i was wowed by their ability to hang on and not give up.Lucky for me,and for most of the rest of the beginners we were all riding our new fleet of 2011 Specialized Test/Demo bikes which touches on the subject of this post.I NEED A FULL SUSPENSION 29ER MTB!!!After 2 1/2 hours of riding today, if I brought my Single Speed Mtn Bike with no suspension at all, that would have been a hell for me.The difficulty of Palos far exceeds what my SS Mtb can handle.Thank god for the bike industry realizing a need to try before you buy or else i would've been royally fucked today.To close out, once again a great job to Darryl, Alfredo, Seyamak, and Charles for their rockstar rides today.I know one thing for sure after today.They're hooked.

November

Well here we are in this abyss we all call November.This is definitely one of those transitional months in between fall and winter where we get a myriad of weather and other great stuff.We are going to be raking and blowing leaves which is at some times enjoyable except for when u have to do it on an average of 3x a freakin day.WTF leaves.Is it leaves or leafs?Who the H E double hockey sticks knows?I can tell you one thing for sure tho, when the first of the month came we had our first frost.Thanks for waiting until after Halloween mother nature.I know a  great month of mtb'ing is ahead of us with awesome colors in the trees and solid trails not dampened by rain.I am excited about that.I think i am going to dress up in all black(ninja gear) and scare my friends on their Thursday nite ride this month.Hide in the trees or bushes or something like that and scare the shit out of them.I am kind of excited for Thanksgiving though,i get to cook the turkey again.In the front yard!I learned this special technique from my friend Adam M. he uses a metal garbage can, but i have procured a giant stock pot that transfers heat better.It also does a great job of keeping the oven from being crowded.Check with me later to see how it turns out.Last year it was a big hit.This is also the time of year when idiot Amuricans(derogatory) over crowd the mall and walmart parking lots to buy dumbshit for their family and friends.Do us all a favor and get in and get out dont wander around aimlessly and look at all the lights.You've seem em before and you'll see em again.While im on the topic...I hate Christmas...call me what you will, a scrooge or whatever you'd like but im over it.As Amuricans we exploit every holiday we can get our hands on and this is especially true for Xmas.I mean really, there was Xmas shit on the shelves even before the end of October.WTF Amurica?Most people don't even know why we celebrate Xmas.And now its politically incorrect to wish someone a Merry Xmas.FUCK OFF.I understand that there are more than just Christians people in this country but since when cant we just be cheery about the time of year.Its all the corporations fault that we say Happy Holidays now instead of the traditional Merry Xmas.That and once again i'll say it.....Amuricans....Please keep in mind that when i use that term i am not referring to everyone that lives in the United States of America just the idiots that live in this country who make us all look bad.These are you under educated walmart going rednecks,and well i cant think of anymore examples right now but i will post a list when i think of them all.Let me know if you think of any BTW...Now back to my point everybody who is offended by Merry Xmas is so lawyer happy and ready to sue someone at a moments notice that's why we are screwed.Those people are Amuricans.Well that's enough of me ranting for today check back with me soon.Thanks.