Giving up a part of you

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For those of you that don't ride bikes, just indulge me. This probably won't make sense to you. But for the rest of you, I'm sure it will make complete sense.
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I'm a multi-bike family. Yes, I'm a multi-bike family. I have a road bike, full-susser mountain bike, a single speed mountain bike and a half built beer fetcher. The road bike and full-susser are Titus hot toasty goodness. I love these two bikes. They see hours and hours of use. I've logged thousands of miles between them. But they have not been a part of the family as long as the single speed.

What is a single speed you ask? Why its a bike with no gear choices of course. The single speed is a surly 1X1. It is a steel frame that rides like butter. It wasn't my first bike I ever bought. It wasn't even the second. But it is the bike where the addiction truly set in. I bought it about a year after I really got riding again post divorce. This is the bike where the simplicity of being a kid again really set in. When I busted the fisher frame, this bike was the only one I had for months during the warranty process. This bike saw hundreds and hundreds of trail miles. It was used to go to the grocery store. It rolled urbans at UTA. It raced X-Bar. It rode through snow on Christmas morning. It was always ready to go. It just did everything it was ever asked to do.

Its crowning moment was in Terlingua. "Racing" Big Bend was an awesome experience. I use the term racing very loosely since I was just there to ride with friends and enjoy the beauty that is Big Bend. The surly did the half marathon and even scaled Tres Cuevas. During that race, I lost all the air pressure in the fork and finished more than the last half as a rigid bike that was riding lower than it was supposed to. Flying off of Tres Cuevas passing people who obviously thought I was crazy was probably one of the most fun experiences I've ever had on a bike. I love desert riding and the surly was the steed for the job. It loved me back as much as I loved it.

So fast forward to the last year. The surly has mostly sat. It sat there looking at me longingly begging to be ridden. Taken to Horseshoe to laugh at people with too much bike. It just kept sitting. I haven't ridden her now in months. Time has been very precious with all that life has taken. I spend more and more time on the road bike, which is good, but it meant neglect for an old friend. I was presented with an opportunity to pass the friend along to someone else for a pittance. I agreed.

I'm to deliver her to her new owner tomorrow morning, so I was cleaning her up and getting her ready for them to ride. She looked at me one last time and reminded me why I loved that bike. She was just so much fun to ride. I remembered Terlingua and all those other places that she had been. I remembered riding Horseshoe in the dark by myself on her. Cruising through the quietness of the trees. What a feeling she provided at times when I needed it most. I feel like I'm giving up a part of me. I know I'm doing the right thing letting her provide joy to someone else. But a little part of me is going away. There is a little innocence gone. The joy will never be forgotten and I will have a new steel fun bike very soon. God speed to you Surly. Provide your new rider with all the love and joy you gave me.