Am I crazy to want another bike?

[grouch2]

I am craving a hard-tail mountain bike.
I started with a low end mountain bike first (2000 Univega Alpina 600) and rode this for nearly 10 years. I didn't really mountain bike with it (Except for one long day in Winter Park, when my dear brother-in-law pointed me down the black diamond trail. Had a great time, but crashed and broke 3 ribs).
My friends are road cyclists, and finally traded my Univega in for a 1998 Fuji Finest 1.0. I like it, but not the same way I loved my old Univega. (I regret trading it in).
Now, I ride 25 to 35 miles at a time, usually over a hilly route (at least it's hilly for West Texas). My cycling friends love the road; they are working towards riding in centuries and average 16-17 miles per hour. I don't like riding by the highways and we don't ride together much anymore.
I don't like riding my Fuji casually around the neighborhood; it's my long distance bike. I've really missed evening rides (5 to 10 miles, depending on the night). Putting on my "kit" and clipping in and out at stop signs is no fun. Besides, the local streets are rough and I'm sick of flat tires.
A few weeks ago, I bought a used Cannondale Quick CX and I love it. It's a hybrid not a mountain bike. I love the way it feels and hugs the road. I love that I am able to ride on dirt/gravel roads/trails again without being afraid of tearing up the bike. I hope to do some "rails to trails" rides sooner or later, but until then, it's mostly around the neighborhood and out to the local parks.
My Fuji is sitting in my laundry room and I am riding my used Cannondale all the time. I can't make myself WANT to ride the Fuji again.
The problem? The Quick is rough. I'm 54 and a cancer survivor (14 years!) and my hands and elbows are not what they once were. I replaced the grips--that helped some, but I long for a front suspension fork. I know it'll make the bike heavier and slower, and I don't really plan to do any technical stuff with it. I want to ride some medium distances and not shake my hands to death. I could kick myself for not getting a hardtail to begin with, but I was trying to economize by buying the best used bike I could find in my price range (The Quick sold for $800 new; I got it for $350. It's got some wear, but is well taken care of).
Am I crazy to want a new bike? Do I just have "bike fever" to want a bike I'll never use to it's full potential?
Or, can you never have enough bikes?

[thekarens]

If you want another bike regardless of the reason you should get it assuming you can afford it.

I have 3 bikes, cruiser, road and mtb. Do I "need" them, no, but I wanted them and use them. That's good enough for me.

[Irulan]

N +1 is the correct number of bikes.

[ny biker]

I personally do not feel that N+1 is the necessarily correct number of bikes. But then I have limited storage space in my small home, and I don't see the point of having a bike gathering dust because you never ride it.

You could make changes to the Fuji bike. You could put on puncture-resistant tires and regular pedals. You can change it to make it more enjoyable for you to ride.

I could also see the argument for getting a hardtail that is less painful and more comfortable for you to ride. You could put less knobby tires on it to make it more suitable to paved/untechnical dirt riding.

When I was growing up, my father taught us to really think about big purchases before spending the money, to make sure the money is well-spent. If you're not happy with what you have, I think it makes sense to spend money either to change what you have or get something that works better for you, especially for an activity that contributes to good physical and mental health. This is why I bought a new road bike a few years ago. But then I donated the old one to a non-profit bike shop, so that someone else could enjoy the old one instead of having it take up space and gather dust.

Anyway that's my $.02.

[goldfinch]

Have you tried bikes with the suspension fork to make sure that it helps you in the way you hope?

[rebeccaC]

It looks like the front suspension fork on the Quick CX3 might fit on your bike. I'd look into that if you like how your CX fits and your only wish is for a suspension fork.

I'm a n+1'er besides that

[ny biker]

[deleting duplicate post - what just happened??]

[brigada]

Honestly, I think a replacement fork might be costly and it wouldn't necessarily turn the Quick into a better ride than it is.

On the other hand, you could get a second hand Cannondale hardtail for an acceptable sum of money. I see decent deals all the time on Pinkbike and ebay, you could really take advantage of that if you're from the US. I love Cannondale's proprietary Fatty and Lefty forks, but you can also find them with more regular forks such as Rock Shox Recon.