Although I have a good grasp of all the latest mtb tech and the perceived advantages, I'm admittedly a ludite when it comes to my bikes. I'm a decade removed from the days of shiny, new must-haves, as layers upon layers of middle-aged post secondary school forced me to access my sport through the only means necessary... Cheap and free things.
That's OK though, because I still got out and rode. Not as much as I did before I went back to school, or now, but I kept it mostly lit so I could build myself back up to speed once I had the time to dedicate. And that experience transformed me from someone who seeks "newest, most exciting" to someone who is driven by finding the best balance of "value". That word value is completely subjective, but is ultimately the most important aspect for you to get the most out of the sport on your own level.
I'm lucky in that I have some friends who are still in the industry, so some components can be a bit cheaper than they are for some (but involves waiting, begging, pestering). I tend to upgrade components as they fail, as opposed to dropping cash for complete builds. When it comes time to replace a frame, it allows me to incrementally upgrade to something approaching "current" (size, geo), so it still feels like an upgrade. You better believe that frame is coming from weeks of scouring the classifieds. And it'll have my own parts on it, that I work on. Hell, I'm still using the shock that came in my free frame 2 bikes ago. Most spare equipment that can't be used in the future goes onto PB buy-n-sell for what ever I can get. But each time I replace something, it's an improvement, and that's all that matters. Not the fact that it's a few years behind the guy I might be riding with. It make ME better than the last ride I was on, and still gives me the "new factor" without the actual new.
This is really just a super long-winded way of saying that wherever the cutting edge may lie, it doesn't matter. What matters is getting out on your bike, and producing muddy/dusty smiles. Do what you must to get yourself there and keep yourself there. Don't fall for the industry version of FOMO. You've got a muddy smile... So do they... That means you're both adequately equipped, regardless of how much it cost or how shiny it is.
PS: Sold my '12 Chromag for a pretty fair price this summer (new hard tail day today in fact, sun's gonna shine, just phoned in "sick"). You'd be surprised how many folks out there are ready to wear muddy smiles produced by outdated equipment, for a discounted price.
Nov. 2, 2018, 9:31 a.m. - Mammal
Although I have a good grasp of all the latest mtb tech and the perceived advantages, I'm admittedly a ludite when it comes to my bikes. I'm a decade removed from the days of shiny, new must-haves, as layers upon layers of middle-aged post secondary school forced me to access my sport through the only means necessary... Cheap and free things. That's OK though, because I still got out and rode. Not as much as I did before I went back to school, or now, but I kept it mostly lit so I could build myself back up to speed once I had the time to dedicate. And that experience transformed me from someone who seeks "newest, most exciting" to someone who is driven by finding the best balance of "value". That word value is completely subjective, but is ultimately the most important aspect for you to get the most out of the sport on your own level. I'm lucky in that I have some friends who are still in the industry, so some components can be a bit cheaper than they are for some (but involves waiting, begging, pestering). I tend to upgrade components as they fail, as opposed to dropping cash for complete builds. When it comes time to replace a frame, it allows me to incrementally upgrade to something approaching "current" (size, geo), so it still feels like an upgrade. You better believe that frame is coming from weeks of scouring the classifieds. And it'll have my own parts on it, that I work on. Hell, I'm still using the shock that came in my free frame 2 bikes ago. Most spare equipment that can't be used in the future goes onto PB buy-n-sell for what ever I can get. But each time I replace something, it's an improvement, and that's all that matters. Not the fact that it's a few years behind the guy I might be riding with. It make ME better than the last ride I was on, and still gives me the "new factor" without the actual new. This is really just a super long-winded way of saying that wherever the cutting edge may lie, it doesn't matter. What matters is getting out on your bike, and producing muddy/dusty smiles. Do what you must to get yourself there and keep yourself there. Don't fall for the industry version of FOMO. You've got a muddy smile... So do they... That means you're both adequately equipped, regardless of how much it cost or how shiny it is. PS: Sold my '12 Chromag for a pretty fair price this summer (new hard tail day today in fact, sun's gonna shine, just phoned in "sick"). You'd be surprised how many folks out there are ready to wear muddy smiles produced by outdated equipment, for a discounted price.