My 5200 has a custom paint job, picked by me.  The decals, right down to the Made in the USA sticker, I picked them – which ones to use, and which not to (the actual 1999 Trek 5200 was kind of gaudy).  I custom cut and installed 5mm cable housings because the 5’s allow the cables to slide better which means crisper, faster shifts.

Right down to hand-picking the seat post collar to match the paint job, the bottle cages and installing leather bar tape, just because…  The stem was pure luck – I bought that before I even owned a road bike, but the fact that it works on that bike is inarguable.

The computer, pedals, saddle, headset…. all chosen to make the bike look and work awesome.

If the 5200 is cool (and it is), my Venge is next level badass.

The Venge has everything the Trek does, but with a fraction of the worry directed at cost.  The carbon fiber crank, carbon fiber handlebar, pedals, wheels, carbon fiber bottle cages, carbon fiber-wrapped stem…  As I see the bike, it’s perfect.

Then there’s my mountain bike – a gift from my wife on Valentine’s Day (yes, I know).  It’s not like the two previous bikes.  It’s aluminum, it’s heavy and it’s anything but top of the line but I do love to ride it once the temps start dropping.  You’ll notice how much it resembles the Venge (because my wife is awesome like that)….

These are my bikes.  They are works of art in my eyes.

A bike is only “just a bike” when it’s treated like it is.  My bikes are my ticket adventure, good times with my wife and friends, and fun… and I treat them as such.