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 **** 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.

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.

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.

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!
.
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

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 still 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.

———————————————————-

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.