Life was pretty simple back when I started riding and racing bikes in the early 80’s.
Before the internet you actually had to go to a physical location called “bike shop” and talk (with your mouth) to humans that would help you figure out what the best ride is for you.
The choices were pretty limited, it was either a commuter bike to run around town, your fancy pants ten speed road racer, track or cyclo-cross bike.
Mountain bikes didn’t exist yet and the term downhill was only used in connection with skiing. Suspension was something for motorcycles and electric motors belonged in appliances like your blender.
I enjoyed those times but I don’t miss them, many great improvements, new inventions and technologies have made cycling more fun but also more segregated than ever.
When I bought my first mountain bike, I raced cross country, downhill and dual slalom on the same bike.
The only adjustment between events was the seat height.
Today I meet riders on full suspension MTB’s that have never ridden a hard-tail and they tell me that they hate road bikes and fixies/trackbikes are only for hipsters. The same exists vice versa and all across the board. The road biker doesn’t like the downhiller, the cross country guy doesn’t like the fat biker, the fixie rider hates the e-biker, and on and on and on……Lot’s of haters out there, and now with social media everybody has a voice.
"If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all."
(please don’t tell me I can’t wear my five-ten MTB shoes when riding my fixie)
I truly love all bicycles and the only problem I have is that I don’t have enough money to own them all. More bikes, and it doesn’t matter what kind, will make the world, especially the cities a better and healthier place to live.
So whatever bike it is you own and ride, enjoy the experience of being on two wheels and stop wasting your time complaining about others.
The consumer will decide what is here to stay and if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. But please let others have fun riding whatever it is they want.
You never know, it might me an aging downhill world cup winner on an e-bike :)
