If comparison is the thief of joy, then regret is the darkside of nostalgia.
Usually I’m not one for rose-tinted spcatacles when it comes to cycling. Cycling was not better in the olde dayes. Or if it was, it wasn’t to do with the bike you were on. It was probably to do with everything else happening in your life at the time. Such as being younger. And having fewer responsibilities. And more disposable income (or income you could pretend was disposable at least).
Anyway. My no-nostalgia stance changed last week when I came across an old photo of a bike I used to have. Yes, the Cannondale pictured above, as featured in last week’s Fresh Goods Friday. Do I wish I still had this bike? Are there any other bikes that I regret getting rid of? What about bikes I regret ever buying? Well, let’s just say, I’ve had quite a few bikes in my time…
The rest of this feature will be in this Friday’s Newsletter. Sign up below.
Free newsletter
Singletrack
Weekly Word
News, reviews and riding from the Singletrack team — no spam, unsubscribe any time.
I do miss certain bikes such as my old SX Trail, but as you point out, it’s probably more to do with the time of my life when I had it. I don’t really regret selling any bikes though as I’ve always replaced them with something better.
I should have never bought a Genesis CdF. Absolutely hated it. Harsh, horrible ride.
My old Mountain Goat Whiskey town, a beautiful tange prestige wonder with a fantastic paint job. And one that got taken from me my Salsa a la carte with jelly bean paint job, utterly gutted when it got stolen.
I miss the ride quality of my old Scandvik Hummer, but I don’t miss the chain suck, I regret selling my Airdrop Edit, it was genuinely one the best bikes I’ve owned, but it was right on the cusp of internal droppers being a thing, and while I should’ve just drilled it, I swapped it for a shiny new thing, as you do.
My regret would be selling my Cannondale Rush, the photo above reminded me of it as same paint job. Loved it, many miles covered and had some incredible upgrades. As you do when you sell a bike, tell any buyer of the amazing spec, it has been looked after, cherished, polished, greased, lubed, lefty serviced etc but the return comment was, ‘just like the look of the lefty type fork’!! Felt quite sad my cherished Rush had been brought by a farmer who liked nothing more than the look of the fork. Replaced with an Orange Five
As to regret… why did I think a DMR Trail Star would be a good idea. Dreams of going to the local bike park, whips and jumps etc!!! Think had it about 2 months at the very most!
I shouldn’t have bought my Orange E6 but it did get me back into biking. The On-One 456 that replaced it was a much better bike for the riding I enjoyed and continue to enjoy. I don’t tend to sell bikes as such but I regret selling a set of black box rebas for £80 to a mate who wrecked them in no time. I still have the Scandal frame and some nice wheels but no forks.
The one I couldn’t get on with was early 90s Marin Team Titanium just felt dead compared to all the light steel bikes I’d been riding up to that point.
The GT iT-1 I sold for a grand that is now worth many grands.