A rather timely piece considering some of the chatter going on in Uncle Dave's latest article.
There is definitely a segment of people for whom the value they get from nostalgia and refurbishment outweighs the benefit (joy?) that comes from buying shiny and new. JW often says something along the lines of if you're not having fun you're not riding fast enough. A corollary to that is to ride a smaller bike - less travel, less grip and less brakes. Its entirely plausible to have as much fun, nay more, on an older and less capable bike that it is on a wondersled.
A ride that sticks out in vivid memory was years ago when one of the guys (Trevor) brought out his old school rigid hardtail with rim brakes for a ride that included Grannies and Lower Crippler. The sight and soundtrack of Trev hitting the point of no return and plunging into the drop that lead to the bridge over the creek crossing was amazing. Anyone who rides hard knows that chorus of deadly anticipatory "Ohhhh's" sliding into silence where every witness holds their breath for a brief moment until they erupt into howls of laughter and holy shits when the rider comes out the other side unscathed.
When that happens on a "big bike" there's often a sense "the bike saved your ass on that one", but when it happens on the "little bike" there's a heavy dose of street cred thrown the riders way. Keep the bike, go ride it and then put it away for another 10 yrs. That one ride will be worth far more than money gained from selling it off whole or in bits.
Sept. 8, 2023, 12:48 p.m. - Mark
A rather timely piece considering some of the chatter going on in Uncle Dave's latest article. There is definitely a segment of people for whom the value they get from nostalgia and refurbishment outweighs the benefit (joy?) that comes from buying shiny and new. JW often says something along the lines of if you're not having fun you're not riding fast enough. A corollary to that is to ride a smaller bike - less travel, less grip and less brakes. Its entirely plausible to have as much fun, nay more, on an older and less capable bike that it is on a wondersled. A ride that sticks out in vivid memory was years ago when one of the guys (Trevor) brought out his old school rigid hardtail with rim brakes for a ride that included Grannies and Lower Crippler. The sight and soundtrack of Trev hitting the point of no return and plunging into the drop that lead to the bridge over the creek crossing was amazing. Anyone who rides hard knows that chorus of deadly anticipatory "Ohhhh's" sliding into silence where every witness holds their breath for a brief moment until they erupt into howls of laughter and holy shits when the rider comes out the other side unscathed. When that happens on a "big bike" there's often a sense "the bike saved your ass on that one", but when it happens on the "little bike" there's a heavy dose of street cred thrown the riders way. Keep the bike, go ride it and then put it away for another 10 yrs. That one ride will be worth far more than money gained from selling it off whole or in bits.