any of you lot gone back to your roots bike wise, after years of searching for the ultimate bike?
sat at home earlier thinking about the bikes i have had over the years
i have tried everything to some considerable cost............for what?
i am still a shit rider, who has most fun just riding good old normal cross country type rides on normal trails/lanes/byway's/bridleways.
been a total ****ing idiot buying bikes i thought would make me a better ride........hard core h/tails, but i dont have the balls to do a 4ft drop
lightweight xc hardtails, with the promise to myself to get fit......yeah right
all the 'niche' stuff, ss stuff, fixie stuff, cos i wanna be fashionable
29rs cos i thought with being big these bike would suit me and my build more, kidding myself that they rode better...........what a lot of old balls that idea is.
all of these bikes/idea's have gone by the wayside along with a shed load of cash, that i could have done something more fun /use with.
thinking back to the normal steel bike i 1st bought that got me into this made me smile.
thinking of the fun i had on it without thinking if my travel was right, or if my brakes needed bleeding................just good old fashioned fun riding a bike rather than planning my next and scouring magazine/websites to see what the next big thing is............. 🙁
well i am sick to **** with it all, sick of the bikes and the wasted cash.
I bought a rigid steel Ala Carte in September. It's fitted with XT bits and bobs, flat bars and some standard Halo wheels. It's brilliant - really reminds me of when I started riding and also that you don't need posh kit to have a great ride.
it's not what you're riding, it's how riding makes you feel.
I think if you've lost the good feeling you used to have then maybe it's you and not the bikes that have changed?
It'll be spring soon and I think we'll all cheer up a bit and enjoy it more.
You still not riding much then?
You would have only wasted your cash on something else. Bet you have some great memories, stories and pictures, and more to the point, what price are those.
You only have one person to blame.
Snap! I'm happy to try out stuff to make little improvements, and being less than optimally fit means I appreciate less weight to drag up the hills. But I'm mostly looking forward to just getting out on some normal trails again.ton - Member
i am still a shit rider, who has most fun just riding good old normal cross country type rides on normal trails/lanes/byway's/bridleways.
The only thing I would add is that I've also discovered different types of riding - e.g. road, touring commuting. Each of these does benefit from a specific bike.
Feeling a bit maudlin' again? The weather is pants just now anyway, so just concentrate on being fit enough come the spring 🙂
ssstu................not at all now mate.
sold all the bikes bar one, and all my spares nearly.
never regret buying bikes Ton, it's half the fun of cycling. and money was invented to be spent!
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I found that the fitter I got, the more riding I did and the more I enjoyed it. my fitness came through commuting and riding a road bike and also having something to aim to get fit for.
I'd suggest entering a race/ long ride/ event in 6 months time, or going on a holiday or something like that - you need a goal!
Aye, but did you enjoy being out riding each of those bikes? Did you enjoy building them? Did you even enjoy selling them on?
It might have been hookers and coke that you got into, so maybe this isn't so bad? 🙂
Kev
totally agree for the past year due to financial circumstances i havent fannied about upgrading bits and pieces like i normally would then 6 months later sold it and bought something new,I have just ridden my bike and ignored all the nice new shiny tempting parts it doesn't seem to have had a diverse effect on the fun i have when cycling if anything i never had so much fun in years
The bike that got me into this shit was a Raleigh Max Cromo II, fully rigid, canti brakes, bright yellow, fantastic - do I want another one? do I hell 😉
The bloke that got me into to this shit was Russ, fully on, great fella and brilliant friend, fantastic - would I want to ride with him again, hell yes, can I? hell no 😥
What I'm trying to say, it's not what I ride but who I ride with that makes it.
I think i'd feel the same way you do if i couldn't ride. 😥
Always make sure you have one bike, even if you only get to ride it to the shop/pub/work.
Sooner or later you'l be able to get out and about again.
The bike that got me into bikes ( 40 years ago) had a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, no suspension and rim brakes. Yes I now prefer discs and have a Rohloff hub but I've gone back to a rigid bike and I'm very happy with it. OK, I can't tear over rough ground but for most of the riding I do it's great and requires virtually no maintenance.
Ah, but you haven't tried a recumbent trike yet, have you?
I've gone to a 100mm steel hardtail with completely borked forks and singlespeed.
loving it 🙂
That's my 2 fingered salute to 10 speed, £50 cassettes and frames that cost more than a months wages.
I'm still riding my 2002 stiffee, I still think great riding is all about your mates the hills and being out there, definately not about the latest bit of bling or technical advantage.
Yes definitely, right back to my road roots. Even the winter air seems to smell like it used to.
Keeping the mtb though, not much point selling it.
Is it just your bike thats changed or the things that you're riding? Going back can be disappointing. I went back to a Cannondale Raven last year, 10yrs after riding my original one. Looked fantastic, but didn't offer anything over the Yeti 575. Sold it and bought an 456. The old school handling of the Raven just didn't work with the way my riding has changed over the years. BITD i loved it.
Yet on the other side of the argument, i've had my P20 for 12yrs, similar age to the Raven, but i love it.
None of that probably helps.
42 this year, disregarding kids bikes, some 25 years ago I starting out riding something like this and have had everything you mentioned above. 2 weeks ago I built this as a winter bike and I absolutely love it, simple, honest and unpretentious. I still have the lightweight full suss and the light road bike but this is a joy to ride, it's just like it used to be 8) so know exactly where you coming from
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I always wanted a 2000 vintage Patriot (got 'into' MTBs around 1995, aged 11...), so when one came up in the right size (at the right price) I snapped it up. You can keep your multi-pivot-ultra-light-carbon-machines from today.
I wouldn't say going back to my roots, as that would be a tiny red Raleigh BMX...
Hope fully you'll get back on the bike soon and rediscover the joys of just getting out and riding.
It always makes me laugh how the bike mags always have to come up with increasingly stupid names for styles of riding and bikes on the market, it's all just bloody riding a bike a the end of the day.
I think if I had to choose one type of riding as a favourite it would be on the tourer on a mix of roads and bridleways (would that be hardtour in mbuk??). I have had quite a few bikes over the years and the one which still gets ridden the most is the kona sutra, I go to work on it most days, have been over most of the uk on it and even a week round Ireland. You really can't beat the experience of going somewhere rather than just round in a circle...
Ton - that's why hardtail steel frames and the like are [b]still[/b] so popular. My first mountain bike? A Giant Escaper - quad butted 4130 Chromoly, IIRC, back in 1991. My favourite bike in the garage? My 456 - double butted 4130 Chromoly. Yes it's got boingy forks, but there's only a few more gears, the bars are a lot wider (but then so am I...) and the stem's a lot shorter (but my back's a bit stiffer than it was when I was in my teens).
To coin a phrase - just get out and ride. Keep your chin up old bean. 😉
A couple of things.
Years ago we/you were cash poor & time rich, any activity would pass the time, & you choose one, spent your time doing it & grew to love it. Then you got cash rich & time poor, so you thought nothing of spending X amount on your favourite release.
As time goes by you have less & less time, but more & more money. Does it matter dropping a few K on a new frame? Does it hell, its only money & it's all relative. What you need to realise is that by spending so much time on here that you are living your dream, not the reality of your life. Forget the bravado & wannabe attitude & ride for yourself when you have time, & enjoy the time for what it gives you & stop worrying about the bloody bike you ride on.
Now anyone want to buy any of the bikes in my stable? 😉
No such thing as a shit rider as long as you're having a laugh. For some the kit is as much a part of the thing as the riding. I'm on the same frame and wheels I had in 2001 so I figure they were good buys!
Once the summer comes and you're out and about you'll be fine.
No such thing as a shit rider as long as you're having a laugh.
Very true. Cycling is whatever you want it to be. If it's a commuting thing and nothing else or finding the biggest drop you can, big day rides it's your thing, enjoy it
ton
I went thru the same as you, but with camera gear. Ended up very frustrated with not much to show for it, apart from a box full of receipts. 😯
We'd all love to be better riders but settle for degrees of mediocrity that our circumstances permit. Fortunately, it's not a competition with yourself or anyone else. It's a simple outdoor pastime. The best rider is the one having the most fun.
I'm sorry you've not been able to ride - I understand the frustration. There's a recession, and winter is dragging on too (about this time I get quite maudlin myself). It's a tough time. So hang on, you'll be alright. 🙂
all of these bikes/idea's have gone by the wayside along with a shed load of cash, that i could have done something more fun /use with.
Ton, it's all stuff to cross off the list . . . been there, done that, opportunities, experiences, etc. I nearly always 'lose' money on my sales but think of it as a hire charge rather than a loss and don't regret a single bike I've bought and then sold on after a week or two - it's all experience and I love it. I love building them, love riding and heck I'm even addicted to selling on ebay 🙄 .
Talking of back to the roots, I've just finished building up a new 2002 Kona Dudu imported from the States - looks flinkin' gorgeous . . . half-term 😀 bring it on! My 6th Kona full-sus bike . . . I always seem to end up going back to Kona or Intense. Maybe this'll be 'the one' . . . who knows? . . . but it's been a heck of a journey 😛
Get and build yourself something nice for the spring! Take care.
Going through a simmilar thing mate. Started when I realised my rigid ss Inbred was more of a hoot than my Ventana. Not sure why, just something about its simplicity. And the fact it cost less than the wheels on my FS. I've just finished building a 29er Inbred. Will see how that goes. Either way, I'm going back to one bike. Run ss, but with spare 9spd rear wheel, chain & cabled up shifter & mech for where ss is too much for me. Really looking forward to summer, now. Some classic old time "see where that trail goes" type rides. Hell, might even get me a map & compass. 🙂
Penny Farthing on Lyriks, it's the future.
hi ton, out on my £3k 5 tonight, that "over biked" for a tootle round rossy as you would not believe, im with you on this....
Money can't buy you happiness.
Gear fetish for cycling (and/or any hobby) is something you go through.
The test is whether you can come through that materialism phase and still love cycling.
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Been riding 20 years now. 2/3 of my life.
Personally I've been through the materialism and done that. I now base purchase decisions on value for money and whether they will, being honest, make me happier.
E.g. will an XTR mech really make you happier than SLX? (ans: no)
Also let other mugs buy the bleeding edge kit and snap up second hand bargains later.
Also also buy versatile components that can be swapped between frames if you fancy a change. Much less expensive.
I do a lot of riding inc. commuting, and must spend < £700/yr on average on kit, which I think is pretty good.
well i am sick to **** with it all, sick of the bikes and the wasted cash.
the problem is that you're not riding, if you are riding it all seems sensible, when you stop it seems a waste
hope your health and mojo returns soon....
sold all the bikes bar one, and all my spares nearly
whatever you do don't part with the ventana, well not until I can afford it 😉
Also let other mugs buy the bleeding edge kit and snap up second hand bargains later.
think before you write please 🙄
I've still got my ancient steel rigid so I can go back to my cycling roots any time I want and remind myself that it's TERRIBLE. Still a laugh to ride but go back to that? God no. Money wasted on bikes has never been money wasted, for me
Mate, you are simply looking for something to give you more enjoyment and have missed the obvious. Its the people that you ride with and the places that you ride that puts the smile on your face, not the bike!
We all started on some hideous hi tensile steel behemoth, but all of us move progressivly up and got things as they evolved. Loose the materialistic element of you character and concentrate of getting better, because I (and we know a shit load more) miss riding with you.
THATS whats important.
Also let other mugs buy the bleeding edge kit and snap up second hand bargains later.
think before you write please
It's true... Jan sales are a good time to go shopping on forums, when all the rich kiddies have decided they don't want their kit any more (or Daddy has bought them an 'upgrade' already)
I certainly wouldn't be riding the bikes I do, if there was no second hand market....
Ton you still poorly mate? I have got some very flash bits on my new bike which was a dream build and is far far too flash for my riding ability but I love it! I do find though when you can't ride due to other things it seems like a huge water of money especially when my other nike my slx HT is so good. I sold an xtr mojo and bought it the mojo was my dream bike but Ijust could get on with it al all.
It's all about perspective which is hard to maintain when you cant ride and I'd say most of us here ride to escape chill get our own head space and over fund this from time to time. The way I look at it if all the bills are paid for kids have all they need the bit of money I have to stuff away is my choice I'd rather spend it in the lbs than the pub as some of my mates do ie I'd rather have a few pints one night that's every week and save the dosh on shiny bike bits or a project.
Hope all is well fella always enjoyed your new bike posts!
The test is whether you can come through that materialism phase and still love cycling
That's interesting, I certainly have quite some time back in fact. And further to that I'm getting more than obsessed by how repairable something is.
totally agree i'm nearly back where i started but you never know till you try, if you dont try your have that niggling doubt in the back of you mind that keeps you awake at night (or is that just me)
Chin up fella, think we've all been down the right stuff will make me happy route.
Best way up + out is riding with freinds IME.
Get out having a laugh, the bits + bobs are way less important than the craic.
Yeah definitely a case of the grass is always greener. I've tried a few different frames and nothing is as good as a DMR Trailstar for me. It may have a steeper head angle and be too short for xc but it's just the most fun to ride.
There is no perfect bike - which is part of the fun.
If I'm getting out and riding I don't care what the bike is as long as it works, problem comes when for reasons out of my control I'm not biking and my bored thoughts turn to what I could improve on the bike(s). I rarely I give into this urge and spend cash, most times I simply get out on my bike and the urge goes away… thoughts should be about the biking and not the bike. I dread to think of the cash I would spend if I followed through on all my daft thoughts and internet research of the next great thing… but research tends to be as far as I let it go (my wife would kill me otherwise). I tend to keep my bikes for many years, if I'm not getting on with a bike there are usually a few subtle changes like saddle/bar/stem/grip positioning etc that bring it back - far cheaper than a complete change and very rewarding. Mastering a bike your not getting on with is a good buzz; I find bending a completely unsuitible bike into service especially rewarding… rigid fixie offroad etc - falling off and being out of my comfort zone reminds of being a beginner again, it's not frustrating… it's a giggle.
One more thing… if your not getting out often don't push it too hard when you do. The first ride after a break needs to be well thought out so as to get the mojo working without destroying the ego. Go easy on the climbs and enjoy the descents at a leasurely clip rather than trying to go mental - smooth and fun is my key to enjoyment.
ton, your story, should be used as a warning to others.
Im sorry to hear that you are not in a great place right now and i hope you are able to ride again soon
i would also like to thank you for the shear number and variety of bikes that you have built/ridden/tested/reviewed. If only you bought smaller frames, i could have benefitted from your 'mistakes'
Had a few more bikes than my relatively short (compared to lots on here) riding career would merit. However this little beauty first hit the trails in 2005 and is still with me 6000 miles later.
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Truth be told, it is probably the best bike I have ever ridden and will never get rid until it dies.
Not niche, no fancy bits, not an expensive frame. Just a fantastic bike.
it's not what you're riding, it's how riding makes you feel.
Spot on WW!
I lost my mojo a few years ago after rupturing my spleen - I am not a crazy as I used to be (not that I was really crazy) but still enjoy technical rails but I also have got into road work and pegging it on XC trails more and the buzz it gives me when I am blowing out my arse if great 🙂
I gace up searching for the perfect bike, I now own quite a few very different ones, none of which is perfect, all of which fit me OK and are fun.
ton - Member
well i am sick to **** with it all, sick of the bikes and the wasted cash.
Is there a sweepstake on how long you keep your latest bike?
I think I've been lucky.
Mainly due to a lack of cash, Ive only had two bikes since I started MTB again in 2005. The first was a stumpy FSR that was too small for me, but it was the cheapest way to get back into biking as my mate was desperate for cash. I've cot a secondhand commencal meta now (which fits me) and I'm loving my biking.
My mates have spent untold thousands on bike after bike in the same period, but they don't seem to get any more out of their riding than I do, or are any faster/fitter/more skilful. I'm pretty certain that if I had the cash I'd have done the same as them as I too, am a sucker for the bling.
Odly, thinking about it,
Riding buddies up North - It was a big deal when one guy got a HL 5-spot as his mk1 superlight was gettign a bit long in the tooth, plenty of guys on horribly choppered having just bunged 100mm forks into them when the 63mm ones that replaced the original rigids wore out, one guy on a thorn took up the lifetime warrenty on his 853 rolhoff frame, I think that might have been the newest bike in the grioup still at 8 years old!
Riding down south - bit of good natured ribbing about my SS hardtail form the group, everyone else is on 120-140mm bouncers apart from the occasional high end/niche brand hardtail or brand spanking new 'winter bike'.
Not exactly the same, but I did also get a bit carried away and have had quite a high turnover of bikes and bits over the last two years.
But I've ridden them all enthusiastically, my riding has improved (a bit) and I've learned what sort of bike I really like/need/want.
And I have also rediscovered the joys of riding XC - as well as all-mincing, freemincing and social DH.
And hey, you might have hit "rock bottom" (as they say at AA) with the buying addiction - but at least you're still enthusiastic about riding!
🙂
I am a person who is fairly solidly attached to his roots. I have an old 27" fixed road bike, very similar to my first, I have the same taste in music (british blues) and am still in love with the same woman I met in '69 (I think she's still in love with me). And I still support the Villa.
But oddly enough, in my real sporting passion, windsurfing, theres absolutely no bloody way I'd bother going out on one of those awful boards & rigs we had back in 1984. But you couldn't get me off them at the time.
Well, you could get me off them, quite easily, but I just got back on.
It's not about the bike.
Once the sun comes out the trails dry, fitness improves and you start riding with a smile agian. You WILL fall back in love, especially when you see them bluebells.
Have to agree with a few of the comments, about it's not all about the bike. I think lowey is spot on, the company and scenery can make a huge difference too. Take last weekend for example.... My folks 60th on Saturday night, and a ride 60 miles away the morning after, could have stayed late got plastered and not bothered riding, but the prospect of getting cold, wet and muddy with a good bunch of folks, and spotting hills, fells and limestone pavements through the mist was too good to miss.
Keep focussing on gentle pootles about on sunny days, on whatever's left in the garage/shed and build up from there. Hopefully catch you at some point on a forum ride too, it's not the same without being able to send you into puddles and streams first for the ton depth test!
Keith
Yes, it's how riding makes you feel, but if the bike you're on makes you feel nervous on the trail because it's too twitchy or knackered at the top of a climb because it's too heavy then a change of bike may help you 'feel' better about the supposed fun.
Anyway, ton, I know what you mean. I'm always searching for what might be a better bike for me and I've only very recently come to the conclusion that the differences on the majority of decent main brand bikes is so small as to not be really worth it. Get one that's good enough and fun enough for the riding I do and stop looking over the fence. So, I've a few bikes and bits to sell myself, but I've settled on a Chameleon 9 speeded with 140mm air forks and an Orange 5 9 speeded with coil Lyriks. I razz around the woods for 2 to 3 hours at a time and do some socialble DH in the FoD, so they both suit what I ride perfectly.
EDIT - and I can SS the Chameleon if I ever feel a bit perverted too. 😉
My first proper MTB was a Rocky Mountain tange prestige steel hardtail with Quadra forks 60mm travel, v-brakes, raceface and XT/XTR bits. I put some Judy DHs with 80mm on it with a coil spring upgrade. It was brilliant. I still have it in the basement and sometimes fantasise about buying some SIDs and building it back up, but with a disc on the front.
I've rationalised to one MTB and trying to get back to that light, capable hardtail bike. Going to be moving all my bits onto a steel frame and hoping it will be the modern equivalent of what I used to ride.
To be honest I don't feel I've wasted any money. Well perhaps - those Pace I bought for my 5 probably weren't quite the right thing over the original Foxes, for instance. And I might've preferred 100mm forks on my Kona. But those are just setup choices.
I've got 5 bikes that are all spot on for the things that I want them to do, and they are all stacks better than my first bike. I've had good and bad rides on every bike I've owned, had fun and thrills and spills. Never really mattered what bike I was on from that point of view 🙂
I've rationalised to one MTB and trying to get back to that light, capable hardtail bike. Going to be moving all my bits onto a steel frame and hoping it will be the modern equivalent of what I used to ride.
Irony. You're still thinking too hard. Just ride the damn thing(s). Chasing a lost era is just as futile as chasing an impossible dream.
Ton - I feel for you being enforced off the bike. I bet it was doubly frustrating at HTN, but it was good to meet you and thanks v much for marshalling.
It is distinctly all experience in that rich pageant of finding that you were happiest when life was simple. Only, be careful not to look at the past through rose-tinted specs - I bet even on your first bike you wanted something different/better/it wasn't quite right.
What you remember from those simple days is how riding made you feel - I bet your memories are all of enjoyable experiences, rather than the detail of a particular bike.
So, it's not the fault of the bike(s). It's not your fault. It's just that you're missing something you love.
Get that ticker of yours fixed, and enjoy getting back out. Go on a no pressure ride. Dawdle along. Look at the view. All that stuff. And don't worry about the bike. It's all about the ride.
I felt very similar a while ago - bought a GT avalanche to replicate the one I'd used for street riding, dirt jumping, trail centres and so on. At the time I also had a couple of nice road bikes, a turner 5-spot and so on. It was rubbish, broke lots and I sold it after about 5 rides.
As mentioned earlier, the key to happy riding isn't a nice bit of bike bling, its having the time to ride. Carrying my knackered old GT on the back of a honda prelude on a rack that could have given out at any point, on the way to Glentress for the first time was probably the best biking holiday I've ever had. I've got probably over 10k's worth of bikes sat in the garage now that I just don't ride - my new XC bike has been out once, looks mint but just never gets used and I haven't got the fitness to ride it like I used to. SImilarly my dream bike (Yeti) gets out maybe once a week for a couple of hours down the quarry, my road bike with my nice new wheels in is just sat there and the alfine equiped 29er has done a grand total of 3 miles.
Don't worry about the bike, bling or not. Focus on having time to ride it, change something to give you more time to ride. It really isn't about what kit you're on, its what you do with it that counts.
I'm tempted to jack the whole working thing in, move to canada to work in a bike shop and ride as much as I can. There is more to life than boxes arriving from CRC
coyote
I can relate to your comments about your Coyote, in that I've still got a 1999 HT3 bought for £30 in 2001 and TBH I still haven't found a better hardtail despite having owned at least 30 in the interim.
when you see them bluebells
I cannot wait for the bluebells. They lift my spirits every year. 😀
Currently got 4 sat in the garage, only really use one. I have never paid more than a grand for a bike. I don't mind using last years model or cobbling a bike together out of second hand / ebay / dodgy american imports as I like tinkering with stuff.
I had a 850 quid coiler in the alps when all my mates were on Nomads and one had a Brooklyn, can't say I enjoyed it any less (until my forks gave out!).
The line up at the mo is;
Cannondale Prophet - 150 off ebay for frame, 120 for domain forks, Hope wheels that I've had for nearly 6 years. Ridden twice.
Ti456 - 799 for the frame and had all the other bits on a doner bike. Riden all the time.
Inbred rigid ss - Bought the frame to use up spares I had lying around with the intention of selling it but i think I will keep it! Ridden with the dog when I can't be arsed walking.
Scott Sub 20 - 150 quid second hand off a guy at work - used for my 5 mile commute every day since October - must have saved me that in petrol alone.
To get to this point i've had (in cronological order);
A trike
A kettler go-cart
Raleigh Afterburner
Raleigh Grifter
Puch Pathfinder (racer)
BMX PK Ripper
Abbey mountain bike
Specialized rockhopper (the yellow one with pink graphics)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT LTS3000
Kona Muni-mula
Marin Rock Springs
Scott Nitrous 20
Kona Kahuna
Kona Stinky
B1 Hornet
GT Avalanche 1
Kona Coiler
Kona Smoke
Inbred 456 summer season 18 inch
Inbred 456 summer season 20 inch
Kona Dew (sold it after being run over by a car)
Prophet 19inch
That's why I've not a penny to my name.... Still happy thinking back over the times I've ridden each of these (apart from trying to ride the Stinky on an xc ride)...
I'd rather pop an eyeball out with a toothpick than go back to a long stemmed, ridged, 6 speed steel hardtail.
I love my DH bike and my Bitch (it's not really a Pitch any more, let's be fair), so much so that when I walk past the dining room (where they live on the wall like art) I get a feeling that I can only describe as what Heroin addicts must when the see a small packet of brown powder.
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
GT Karakoram (got stolen)
Didn't learn from your mistakes then eh? 🙂
I've kept my Marin SS (at my parents'), Scott Octane (I like it), 456SS (makes me proud despite my lack of skills) and a Kinesis SS 69er. The best bike? Trek Y3 I had years ago, Spesh FSR from the late'90's I had for 2 weeks, Puch SS the removal boys lost when I was moving to Eire. Lessons learnt? NONE WHATSOEVER!
The weather is warming and its getting lighter - There is now light at the end of the tunnel 🙂
Molgrips;
Insurance replacements on each one! Did love those bikes though, I'm sure I was faster downhill on one of those than on my stinky (or maybe it just felt faster when my teeth were rattling!)
How did they all get nicked tho? Did you change your security stragegy?
Being young and daft mostly, and having crap combination locks! My security strategy changed after my cousin had a 'word' with the guy who we were pretty sure nicked the bikes 😈
I get a feeling that I can only describe as what Heroin addicts must when the see a small packet of brown powder
Ha ha (lol-ness!)... I know exactly what you mean. It's brilliant. I actually have too many bikes for someone with no place to live (7 at present), but I love them all, and I ride them, lots, because they are all different bicyling 'flavours' for my many moods. They're beautiful little pieces of asthetic locomotive mechano, which live in doors as works of art, yet once outside get covered in mud and crap. They cause me all sorts of heartache and grief when things break and fall off them late on a Saturday night, but they have each taken me to wonderful places also. I probably never sell a single one of them ever.
But I may well yet buy more... 😯
I've never 'wasted' money on bikes. It's impossible to 'waste' money on bikes, surely? Unless you don't ever ride them.
Riding buddies up North - It was a big deal when one guy got a HL 5-spot as his mk1 superlight was gettign a bit long in the tooth
I still ride a mk 1 Superlight but I've always lived south of Oxford - do I get honorary Northenability?? 🙂
after reading through all this, it has cheered me up a fair bit.
didn't realise i was so down till i read what i had put on the op.
it was supposed to read as a bit of a rant and a bit of a self piss take.
i do realise that buying bikes cant make you a better rider and that it wont make rides happier.
i always have and hopefully will again enjoy and love riding with the same spark as i did before.................we will see.......... 8)
Where were you at hit the north? Someone mentioned you were one of the marshalls, you're not the little girl stood by the motorway are you? If so well done! Prob the most enthusiastic marshall ever!
konaboy2275
no mate, big bloke in red at the bottom of the long slippy descent.
My riding hasn't changed and I'm happy with my bike(s). I realised a long time ago there is little advancement to be had from new bikes - however it doesn't mean I don't buy.
I've just built up and On One Inbred singlespeed whilst i've been waiting for my Whyte 146 to finally get delivered. It is a blast from the past when I did ride rigid and refused the suspension upgrade.
Old-school is fun and improves your skills but you still need to indulge a little. Either way it should always put a big smile on your face...thats why we do it, right?
i do realise that buying bikes cant make you a better rider and that it wont make rides happier.
Steady on old chap, I wouldn't go that far.
😉
Prob the most enthusiastic marshall ever!
I remember two teenage girls at I think it was a SITS maybe year before last - they seemed to cheer every single rider until about 2am, then were up at 7 and continued til the end.
That's stamina!