renton I just thought the question was a bit naive for someone who’s been riding a long time. It is an extremely personal and subjective choice, and while pretty much everyone loves the bike they’ve most recently bought the most, I wonder how long these bikes re being kept.
IMO the wisest suggestions are the nostaligic or traditional ones – any flashy new bike will soon be outdated.
I gave up on bike for life, even briefly owning a steel Ibis and then a lovely Ritchey for a few years, although there are a couple I’ve had for nearly 10 years that for me are as good as they need to be and new have a lot of memories attached (custom steel hardtail and 03 Heckler). But these reasons are so personal I wouldnt expect anyone else to get them.