I live in Illinois. I’ve come to accept that for what it is. Our opportunities to ride are not too bad considering how flat most of the area is. We have Palos and Kettle which are pretty hilly. CAMBR is working on Beverly Lake which has some good hills. Deer Grove is cool but fairly flat.

Sooo, it makes financial sense for me to ride a hard tail. I’ve had my Specialized Stumpjumper Pro since 1999. Specialized is one of the few brands that has not “sold out” (don’t have problem with doing so but it does impact the brand) to other big brands or the Chinese (not that I have a problem with our Asian comrades either, I follow their motorcycle scene closely). I guess I just like the Specialized brand and how it feels if that makes sense. Big company technology and a solid image.

Last week at I made the mistake of going to Bike Connection in Schaumburg, IL for no good reason but to look around. That is when the friendly salesmen slowly and knowledgeably steered me to my destiny. The 2010 Specialized FSR Expert. Only I will be buying the Test Bike in anno red at the end of the year. I love the bike’s brain functionality in general but I just feel in love with the testbike paint. 27ish lbs. It will be mine. Oh yes…