My bike is done :(

Not officially toast, but it won't be ready in time for my trip :)

And that can only mean one thing: I need to make a choice between prolonging / canceling my trip until next year (since it's starting to get cold), or I need a new bike somehow.

This is going to be a tough decision. Yet somehow it's extremely exciting.

Option 1: Prolong until next year
I'm planning to ride cross-country. I have the route planned, and my best friend will be accompanying me in his car while I ride. This has been months in the making, and if I bail now, the trip will have to wait a year. I've already booked the vacation at work, and made all the preparations. Mentally, I'm checked in to this trip so much that it would be absolutely devastating not to go now. As I type this message, I'm realizing more and more that this isn't even an option. Which means on to option 2:

Option 2: Get a bike
This has sub-options. I could Craigslist a bike, but I intend to drive at least 5000 miles in a week, and I'd be scared that any bike I buy used won't make it. I could pressure the HD guys to fix my bike faster, but they genuinely don't know what's wrong with it, and I've been there in person multiple times so I believe them somehow. I could buy another of the same bike I have and make the trip on it. Or I could buy a new, different bike, own two for a period of time and do side-by-side comparisons, then sell the old bike once it's been fixed.

I'm sold. I'm buying a new bike. :)