Since there is some talk about madness sources, and existential roles it fills, I'll add this...
Long, long, long ago I figured out what my "grail" set-up was. I have been consistently riding that ever since. But sometimes I get these crazy notions that I should try different equipment (and often it's equipment that I've previously tried, and dismissed, before). I've done this enough times over the years to clearly, conclusively, and decidedly know with acute conviction that dropping my wheelbase down is not going to really have any substantive impact on my meager 360 flips. I'll fight the urge to (re)buy something I've had before (and then given away after I've again concluded it's "not for me."). Usually I can fight the urge off, but sometimes the only way out is through...and then I suddenly find myself with some new gear.
The question is why. Why does this madness happen, even if the outcome is pretty much predetermined, and known?
I wrestled with this awhile. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different results. Did I really think that trying Product Y for the Xth number of times was suddenly going to make it "functional"? Was I insane?
Somewhere along the line I figured out what was really going on, and this has helped me make some peace with the process (when it inevitably happens again). Thai food is my favorite thing to eat. What would happen if I had it for every single meal? I'd get sick of it, and want some variety. This, I think, is exactly what happens with gear. Sometimes I just get sick of riding the same damn set-up all the time (even if it is my grail set-up), and I just want some variety. The excitement of trying something "different," even if I know it's not going to be as good.