I’ve done a lot of reading here, but no writing.

Mountain biking always seemed awesome to me. Always. I mean, back when I was so little that I was riding a Huffy on 16’s (Gangsta style, clearly), I would go to a friend’s house, and we’d ride this BMX style loop in his yard. Needless to say, that was awesome. Then I ended up with a Murray Flexxor when I was eleven. That’s right, the one with the super heavy shock up front, and it ruled. I went over the bars so many times trying to ride that thing in the woods behind the neighborhood around the corner. And then, when I outgrew that, I would take my sister’s “mountain bike” into the woods, because it had 18 speeds, and that was AWESOME. You know, awesome except for the fact that I was riding a lady’s step through frame with more or less of a commuter tread, and it weighed about 30 pounds (roughly 1/3 of me at the time, if not more).
Cycling dropped off for me for a little while during the middle school years, mostly due to a move, and the resultant not knowing the locals, or where to go ride on dirt. Not to mention that when you’ve got my mom raising you and you live in the ‘burbs that riding on the street is discouraged for a 13 year old. Of course by this point I’ve got a shiny new Royce Union with 26’s, a 24 speed, and bar ends. Bar ends, BTW, hurt if you take them to the jaw. I would not recommend it.
By mid high school, a buddy of mine on the cross country team had just got one of those high end Trek Fuel 90’s with full suspension, so I’d ride across town to ride to the trails with him. It’s worth noting how ridiculous I had to look, still riding the Royce alongside this fancy full sussy on the trail.
Then Graduation time came along, and I requested a MTB instead of a graduation party, because I’m not big on parties, and that the same amount of money could go towards a bike which could last longer. Enter the Gary Fisher Marlin. Not so much high end or fancy, but badass enough to handle trails.
(insert filler of about two years involving occasional weekend rides in central Mass.)
So, then I moved to Watertown and got a job in Cambridge selling coffee. I commuted on the Gary Fisher, it being my only bike and all. I then found a ten speed in my dad’s basement, tuned it up and rode that for a few months all over the place until buying the Langster. A few months after that, I started mess’ing for City X, and shortly thereafter met most of you folk.
Long story short, bikes are cool, and are way cheaper than the car I used to have.