I must say that after 5 kidney stones in one side, I did briefly consider donating the crappy one. Having been riding mountain bikes since 1983, I’ve lived (survived?) through all sorts of good bad and indifferent parts. Most younger riders really have no clue how awful that stuff in the 80s worked. But riding was just as much fun. The retro-grouch pines for that old equipment but in reality, they pine for the young body that recovered quickly.
It’s not the hype so much as the result of the hype. We allow ourselves to be sucked in by it. And we’ve all been sucked in one time or another. This is why some old guys like me tend to step back and look the hype with a stink eye. Let some other riders be the beta testers and see how things go. The newest thing might be better. But how much better do I need?
Ask questions. Be sceptical. Listen to the hype but be critical. Do you really need a ten tooth cog to coast down steep paved roads? Do you need electrical shifting? Test ride a bike with it and see for yourself.
I’ll never forget the guy that came into the old Bike Cellar in North Van loudly proclaiming that he had reduced his bike weight by a pound by installing a titanium bottom bracket. Wait what? You replaced something that doesn’t even weigh a pound with something that might be a ¼ pound lighter. He was an accountant apparently that I would not hire to do my taxes. "But the shop weighed my bike before and after", he said. Maybe if he’d paid for that bb in toonies that he carried on the bike it was lighter.
March 27, 2023, 9:36 a.m. - Andy Eunson
I must say that after 5 kidney stones in one side, I did briefly consider donating the crappy one. Having been riding mountain bikes since 1983, I’ve lived (survived?) through all sorts of good bad and indifferent parts. Most younger riders really have no clue how awful that stuff in the 80s worked. But riding was just as much fun. The retro-grouch pines for that old equipment but in reality, they pine for the young body that recovered quickly. It’s not the hype so much as the result of the hype. We allow ourselves to be sucked in by it. And we’ve all been sucked in one time or another. This is why some old guys like me tend to step back and look the hype with a stink eye. Let some other riders be the beta testers and see how things go. The newest thing might be better. But how much better do I need? Ask questions. Be sceptical. Listen to the hype but be critical. Do you really need a ten tooth cog to coast down steep paved roads? Do you need electrical shifting? Test ride a bike with it and see for yourself. I’ll never forget the guy that came into the old Bike Cellar in North Van loudly proclaiming that he had reduced his bike weight by a pound by installing a titanium bottom bracket. Wait what? You replaced something that doesn’t even weigh a pound with something that might be a ¼ pound lighter. He was an accountant apparently that I would not hire to do my taxes. "But the shop weighed my bike before and after", he said. Maybe if he’d paid for that bb in toonies that he carried on the bike it was lighter.