You can’t regret trying things and discovering you didn’t care for those things. I went bike touring when I was young and it was pretty fun. Tried it again with my then girlfriend and the company was nice but the riding with a fully loaded bike sucked. Never went again. To me bike packing was the equivalent of going car camping with a sports car pulling a trailer. It’s not a sports car anymore. And I don’t care for camping. I like my comforts. The end goal for me with various activities is enjoyment. When I was young I road raced to see how good I was. How do I measure up with the other guys? I was a really good climber but lousy sprint, tt and no real tactical sense. I got to Cat3 but that was it. I started to toy with racing mountain bikes and took it up seriously when I moved to Toronto. Weird eh. Did well at that as a Veteran and then Masters. Raced cross because a good friend wanted to try it in his 40s so I joined in too rather than watch. I’m not one for watching things. I’d much rather do things. Go watch Crankworks which is where I live or go ride with my wife somewhere? No brainer, I go ride. I despise crowds. I won’t line up at the Peak chair for any length of time when I can actually ski somewhere else.
Look for experiences not things. Figuring out what kind of experiences you wish is part of the discovery experience. Manufacturer are in a way like certain politicians who see them selves as our "betters" and want to rule and tell us what we want. Note the creep in enduro bike suspension travel and geometry. That bike that was capable and fun 6 years ago must be replaced with this new bike which is more fun because it’s more capable. What is often called progression with equipment is often just different.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been amazing improvements in equipment that I’m fully on board with. I’m not going back to straight skis or wooden cross country skis. Or three by five drive trains. A more downhill capable bike kind of numbs the experience by making it easier. And at 66 years of age I know that I can be injured more easily and those injuries take longer to heal. The more capable the bike or skis the less often I might crash but the more spectacular that crash might be.
I guess what I’m getting at is the individual gets to decide what they like or do not like with all kinds of things. Don’t let external pressures from others cause you to go in a direction you don’t want.
July 29, 2024, 10:04 a.m. - Andy Eunson
You can’t regret trying things and discovering you didn’t care for those things. I went bike touring when I was young and it was pretty fun. Tried it again with my then girlfriend and the company was nice but the riding with a fully loaded bike sucked. Never went again. To me bike packing was the equivalent of going car camping with a sports car pulling a trailer. It’s not a sports car anymore. And I don’t care for camping. I like my comforts. The end goal for me with various activities is enjoyment. When I was young I road raced to see how good I was. How do I measure up with the other guys? I was a really good climber but lousy sprint, tt and no real tactical sense. I got to Cat3 but that was it. I started to toy with racing mountain bikes and took it up seriously when I moved to Toronto. Weird eh. Did well at that as a Veteran and then Masters. Raced cross because a good friend wanted to try it in his 40s so I joined in too rather than watch. I’m not one for watching things. I’d much rather do things. Go watch Crankworks which is where I live or go ride with my wife somewhere? No brainer, I go ride. I despise crowds. I won’t line up at the Peak chair for any length of time when I can actually ski somewhere else. Look for experiences not things. Figuring out what kind of experiences you wish is part of the discovery experience. Manufacturer are in a way like certain politicians who see them selves as our "betters" and want to rule and tell us what we want. Note the creep in enduro bike suspension travel and geometry. That bike that was capable and fun 6 years ago must be replaced with this new bike which is more fun because it’s more capable. What is often called progression with equipment is often just different. Don’t get me wrong, there have been amazing improvements in equipment that I’m fully on board with. I’m not going back to straight skis or wooden cross country skis. Or three by five drive trains. A more downhill capable bike kind of numbs the experience by making it easier. And at 66 years of age I know that I can be injured more easily and those injuries take longer to heal. The more capable the bike or skis the less often I might crash but the more spectacular that crash might be. I guess what I’m getting at is the individual gets to decide what they like or do not like with all kinds of things. Don’t let external pressures from others cause you to go in a direction you don’t want.