me

Me and my first, current, and one-and-only mountain bike - a canary yellow GT Pantera hardtail bought from a local bike shop in 1996 back in the days when GT made good stuff. I've since put cheaper gears and brakes on it in an effort to keep the fettling bills to a minimum, replaced the fixed forks with suspension ones in 1999 for some second-hand Rock Shox and again in 2007 with a decent set of new Tora's to give a bit of variable travel at the front. I've tried spd's and flats (I prefer flats), messed around with a few different stem/bar combos, gone through two sets of wheels, a few different saddles (got a girls one on it right now), on my second headset, third bottom bracket and about my millionth set of inner tubes. I also whacked on some rather excellent Ergon hand grips quite a few birthdays back which my hands and ulnar nerve get on really well with.

And contrary to the impression I might give, I'm actually rather pants at doing repairs to my bike myself but luckily have a mate who works in a bike shop and a couple of others who don't but should.

To say this has been a solid, quality bike frame doesn't do it justice enough, but I am getting the itches to get something new now, especially seeing as it's probably the heaviest thing on my local trials these days (along with me). In 2008 I did come close to getting a nicely hardcoreblingy Orange Sub Zero hardtail frame and was even toying with the idea of going all poncey and getting an Orange Patriot or even a Yeti, but being made redundant that Autumn put paid to those ideas (especialy the Yeti as the thing would've cost almost as much as a HOUSE) so I've been convincing myself ever since I'm still very happy with my yellow old faithful.

Would still be nice to get a nicenewshiny one though. Maybe that's why I'm not cracking a smile, eh...