2010s were similar for me.
2010 I rode 3k miles, mostly “training” on an old CAD3, discovered I’d never be fast. Gave up for a couple years.
2011 41 miles
2012 0 miles
2013 2k miles, decided to start riding again for fun, did a lot of climbing. Down to one bike at this point (the orange Poprad “gravel” bike).
2014 700ish miles, yeah, nah
2015 nothing
2016 more nothing
2017 still nothing
2018 even more nothing
2019 500ish miles so far. I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no other exercise* that I can do to preserve my fitness that doesn’t exacerbate chronic pain issues, so back to “training”. Holy shit, way, way slower than when I was convinced I’d never be fast. Still on the Poprad. Thinking about building up an exercise bike from the CAAD10 F&F I’ve had stashed in a corner for almost a decade.
I could swim, I like swimming, but it’s a pain in the ass to do every day.
2010: Riding a rigid IRO singlespeed 29er with dirt dorps and the loudest eccentric bottom bracket to trails and back home.
I think I had a steel 105 Masi roadie as well.
50-100 miles most weeks, 50 of those commuting. The rest were refusing to admit that a road bike on 23s in the Berkeley hills was a dumb idea or spending more time pedaling the singlespeed at Mach 7 cadence to the trails than actually riding the trails.
2011-2019: the gravel years, due to moving to Nebraska and then Colorado plains. Tires went from 700x38 to 700x45 to 26x2 to 700x48. Parts did not stray beyond 9 speed. Frames got longer, position moved forwards.
2018: bought a modern MTB (Trance 29), didn’t totally click with it.
2019: moved to Nevada, started pushing the MTB. Listened to PVD on setup and got it more dialed. Dormant shred skills coming back. Planning frames that are even longer.
2010: Giant TCR, Ridley Crossbow, Jamis Nova as a SS cross bike. I raced cross in the fall and winter. Did a little riding for the rest of the year. I think this is when EJ and I started leading gravel rides.
2011-2014: pretty much the same. At some point I picked up a rigid 29er from one of y’all and started mountain biking. Replaced the Jamis with a really shitty On-One Pompino and disassembled my sweet fixie for the last time in order to build a 120 spaced CXSS.
2015: Moved to seattle. Rode my road bike a little more.
2016-2017: 29er became a bike packing bike.
2018: Got a Niner RLT and put fenders on it. Got a 80s Univega mtb and built a basket bike. Got a new CXSS with discs!
2019: Got a sundeal. Got a Giant Trance. Broke a sundeal. Got another sundeal.
89-2010, MTB > TT> Track.
2010. Singlespeeding on 1996 Apex DBR
Discovered cross.
Discovered bikepacking.
Got my first fully, Santa Cruz Superlight frame.
2011, bought Karate Monkey frame.
2012, still bikepacking on the Santa Cruz
2012, bought Singular Kite CX frame.
2012, did first organized gravel grinder
2013, organized first casual gravel grinder
Started bikepacking on drop barred Karate monkey
2014, picked up a Santa Cruz Tallboy frame
2015, got cheap giant XTC frame. Discovered dynamo life in build up to Tour Aotearoa.
2016, TA on Karate Monkey
2016, put drops on vintage 26er Litespeed
2017, built up a Peugeot for Eroica Japan
2018, Eroica Italy. Refurbed Geoffrey Butler steelie
2019, Started to try and get rid of bikes. Purchased first whole bike since 1996, OPEN UP.
It’s good to know I am not the only one. When given the chance to build/buy my dream bike a few months back I was overcome with guilt and indecision and still couldnt spend the money I was allowed to. Ended up getting a demo bike. Must be my Scottish genes.
A decade of tire sizes, in order of first appearance:
700×25c, 700×28c, 700×27c, 700×23c, 700×35c, 700×45c,650×38b, 650×33b, 650×42b, 650×25b, 650×47b, 650×40b, 559×38, 559×54 (I also have some huge old 27.5 MTB tires that I bought for rack fitting on the endpoint (orc definition of a) fat bike, but they’ve never turned a wheel in non-revenue service.)
I started riding bikes as an adult in 2011 I think? Or 2012. One of those two
Started out with a Trek FX. Should have sized up to a large but rode the shit out of that thing.
Bought a Klein Quantum from a dude on my motorcycle forum. Was lucky to sell that to another old guy without completely losing my ass over it.
Got the LHT, while much maligned here I have rode the snot out of that bike. Shocks me to think I’ve had it for like 6 or 7 years now. Worn out and replaced lots of parts but I still don’t think of it as my “old bike” somehow.
After I sold the Klein I built a Black Mountain Road frame that was the genesis of ShartQs. Still fun to ride but it mostly just decorates the wall of my garage.
Lots of fatbike dumbness.
I think the thing that evolved the most for me over the decade was my perception of the bicycle in modern society. First I bought the hybrid as a toy, then realized I could actually get to work on it, and then this quickly evolved into me becoming a full-time cycle commuter for the 6 years. I’ve been privileged to arrange my life in a way that I’ve been able to keep biking to work. I think it’s a alternatingly beautiful and enraging way to live life, but overall I do think it’s “saved” my life (or at least my health) and I’m so mad that more people here don’t feel encouraged to try it out.
2012 I was living in an area where the safest route round trip was 29 miles. I rode to work twice.
2015 I moved to a place that was 4 miles round trip and 80% on a river trail.
2017 I did 89.5% of commutes by bike, including in that number a few walks when it was snow packed.
2018 I moved slightly further away and the least traffic free route is 8 miles round trip and that seems like a huge burden anymore (also secretly disappointed in myself when I don’t ride, but also less days where riding is an option because of other things going on that makes the car a better use of time).
