R.I.P. Rogue Leader

This day came sooner than expected, but then it's always hard to lose a loved one: R.I.P. Rogue Leader.

I know, I know, and thank you for your condolescences. It's very sweet of you.

What happened? I wish I could say he went in a blaze of glory while rocketing down a mountainside, but it was more like a sad whimper.

Remember back when I had the chronic problem of the rear tire coming unseated at stop lights, I know now due to me not tightening the bolt on well enough? That was the beginning of the gouge in the frame that proved fatal.

I hadn't had the problem in quite awhile, had in fact forgotten it with the recent new problem of chronic flats on the rear -- which again necessitated constantly removing and replacing the tire, screwing the bolt over that gouge, which I'm sure didn't help matters.

The problem du jour this week was the rear tire again shifting on the bolt, this time while appearing fully tightened. It would jam up against the frame and bring me to an abrupt halt. Again only while restarting from a complete stop fortunately, not while careening downhill at breakneck speeds.

I was sure the gouge was the problem. Whether it could be fixed I wasn't so certain. All the Google results I found seemed to be gearheads lamenting simple cosmetic damage to their pride and joy, nothing that affected the function of the bike. I thought it should be possible, but you can fit what I know about fixing bikes into a 100 x 100 pixel LJ icon (I've added "Bike Repair and Maintenance for Dummies" to my Amazon wishlist, if someone would like to support my habit hobby).

I decided I had had enough and brought the whole bike into Bicycle Village. I again got Mr. Blonde of the icy stare, who within two minutes of looking it over pointed out four major things that needed replacing. With labor I was looking at about $140 to fix a 15-year-old bike, and none of that would do anything about the gouge. He said no matter how tightly he screwed the tire on, too much metal had been sheared away and the problem would sooner or later be back.

He seemed a little kinder as he broke this news to me. He's probably used to some people taking it kind of badly. I didn't, mainly because I had spent the whole day sort of expecting this verdict. Had even, truth be told, wandered onto Specialized's site to see what kinds of options might be available in the way of a brand new bike, maybe even one that didn't weigh 50 pounds. It wouldn't take much convincing.

I was surprised to learn Specialized still makes Hard Rocks. If you start at the home page where they're featuring their $2,000 specials, the $400 entry level Hard Rock sounds like quite the bargain. But realistically, I don't have $400 sitting around and would likely not be extended any credit with all my medical bills still hanging over me. Not to mention would totally destroy my new resolve not to buy every shiny thing that catches my eye.

So I turned to my third favorite shopping site (eBay first, Amazon second), Craigslist. There seemed to be plenty of options around $100, even more if I upped it to $200, but naturally mostly used and I didn't fancy the idea of taking on a whole new set of problems with a different, unfamiliar ride. There seemed to be a lot of weasel words being bandied about, when condition was mentioned at all, and of course the usual lot of dark, blurry photos taken with a camera phone (I swear, why do all Craigslist photos look like someone took them from inside their jacket while jogging by a yard sale?)

I debated long and hard between new and used, long and hard. New has its obvious appeal (despite not being sure where I would get funds from), but on the other hand, I thought about leaving a $400 bike parked in front of a store and how anxious that would make me. Remember the stress I had worrying about Rogue Leader's security? Multiply that by a million here. Unfortunately owning nice new things (while only living in a fair to middling neighborhood) comes with constant worry about when they'll get stolen/damaged. This is why I drive a 13-year-old car with the top coat of paint stripped off (don't laugh -- it's paid for); it enables me to park in more dodgy locations (such as the hospital) without being a basket case.

Suddenly a more affordable used bike, that wouldn't devastate me if the worst happened, sounded a lot more desirable.

Back to Craigslist. I spent most of my shift Friday night browsing listings. I had even found a Hard Rock that could have been Rogue Leader's twin separated at birth (my heart gave a twinge). I ended up responding to an ad for a HR that sounded perfect, black, the right size, and in practically new condition. I would call her Black Mamba.

Still waiting to hear from that one. Glad to see people are keeping up the fine CL tradition of not bothering to remove their ads or respond to you once the item is sold.

I obviously preferred Specialized but was willing to consider others if the price was right. I looked at a lot of Treks, Diamondbacks and Mongooses (geese?). Treks and Diamondbacks I thought were plain looking if not just ugly, Mongoose of course has the problem of once being a good name before being bought by Walmart. I avoided Roadmasters, Raleighs and Schwinns -- too much of a chance ending up with a crappy department store castaway.

I actually had a few leads in hand on some Hard Rocks that preferred phone contact (the inconvenient part of working third shift). Kind of iffy since some of them were from back in early June, but I guess it was possible they were still available. Was getting ready to call one as soon as I woke up Saturday morning when I quickly hopped back on the site to see the newest listings.

There it was, three listings down. "Trek Mountain Track 820 with extras." Again, Treks aren't my favorite, but I at least know they're a good name. She was a beauty. The picture was in focus and everything, almost as if the seller wasn't trying to hide something. Candy apple red, kind of vintage-looking, built very similar to Rogue Leader. I would say it was love at first sight or fate if I trafficked in such cliches.

I gave it another second's thought and called the guy on the spur of the moment. Didn't do a lick of research, which is quite unlike me -- probably for the best, since doing so after the transaction turned up lots of folks raving about what a beating the 820 can take with very little maintenance, but also with a fair amount of nay-sayers claiming it was useless for anything but street riding. For all I know these people are used to flying down the Grand Canyon on their bikes, so who to believe? (Also practically everyone bitching about how heavy it is; all of them should spend a week hauling Rogue Leader around and then see what they think.)

(I was a little concerned to learn that the 820 is an entry level model. Then again, I thought I was the shit on Rogue Leader before realizing that Hard Rock is Specialized's bottom of the line. Still, a bottom-of-the-line Trek beats a top-of-the-line Roadmaster. It's all relative.)

Long story a bit less long, I drove to see it. The seller lived in what had to be a 2 million dollar house in chi-chi-poo-poo Highlands Ranch. I interrupted him tinkering confidently in the garage on several other bikes (whether or not that was for my benefit I'm not sure). The bike looked in great shape, really clean and well cared for. He let me take it for a spin -- maybe a bit on the tall side, but ran smooth and felt pretty good. He had road tires on it, practically new with the "hair" still on them, but assured me my knobbies would fit.

So the deal was done. She came home with me and I immediately began scavenging parts off Rogue Leader. This made me very sad, but at least now some part of him will live on. And let's face it, bike parts aren't cheap. Wouldn't hurt to have some spares around.

No idea what year she is. Turns out there's a cadre of sites devoted to helping Trek owners (I refuse to call them "Trekkies") figure out their year of manufacture. You wouldn't think it would be so hard, but Trek has been around a long time and built a LOT of bikes, which is all to the good. There's a chance she's '96 or earlier, which makes her about as old as Rogue Leader, but a good deal better cared for.

My decision was probably 70% an emotional one. I had a red Panasonic in college that I loved to death. She's shiny and retro but has some scratches, so I won't be terrified to inflict the first one. I can't decide on a name. I've thought up several possibilities since bringing her home. Perhaps y'all can help.

[Poll #1591036]

Notice a theme? I think it's only right that Rogue Leader has something named after him.

Pics:

Poor Rogue. He looks like a double amputee ):

The pic came out kind of retro-looking, like what's-her-name

I'll miss you, Rogue Leader. You got me started on my bike-riding journey, but now ___________ is going to carry me a little while.



P.S.: Due to the failure of kavieshana to find me any kick-ass biking icons, I was forced to make do on my own.