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I'll share a parable: When I first got into cycling as a hobby/activity, I didn't know anything other than "get a bike and ride it." I didn't know about clipl

by nlh 3y ago

I'll share a parable: When I first got into cycling as a hobby/activity, I didn't know anything other than "get a bike and ride it." I didn't know about clipless pedals or carbon wheels or gear ratios or anything. Nor did I particularly want to know about any of it. I just bought a basic, average, all-around bike and started riding it. That bike served me extremely well. It didn't do anything particularly great, but it also didn't do anything particularly badly either. It was totally average. I rode it thousands of miles around the Bay Area, and in the course of doing so, got really quite into the sport (which is now, thankfully, a major part of my fitness life). And in getting into the sport, I learned about all the widgets and gadgets and what equipment was better for what situations. When that bike got stolen (thanks, SF), the timing was such that I was ready to treat myself to a major upgrade. And so I built myself a dream bike. And picking out every component was SUPER fun, because I knew exactly what I needed and why I needed it. I knew I wanted an endurance-optimized frame because I enjoyed long rides with lots of hills. I knew I wanted smaller diameter wheels because it's so darn windy going over the GGB that I'd get tossed around with deep-dish aero wheels. I knew the gear ratios that would be ideal for the type of riding I enjoyed. And so I remember VERY distinctly when an old friend called me up one day and excitedly told me he too was ready to get into cycling. But oh, was he wracked with indecision, and could I help? Which gears to get? which frame? which brakes? Which indeed. He was the quintessential amateur obsessed with the tools. And I advised him to take the same path I'd taken: Just buy a bike. Ride it. Learn what you like and what you don't like, and the decisions for the next one will be infinitely easier. Master the basics and then you can focus on mastery with the right tools. BTW - this wasn't wisdom of foresight here. I lucked into the experience because I was truly an amateur when I started and just didn't care. But I think it worked out well.

jhot 3y ago
Similar experience with mountain biking for me. In college I bought a $600 hardtail because that was my budget. Didn't know or care that it had a coil fork and mechanical disks instead of air fork and hydraulic brakes. And at the time it didn't matter. I rode that thing well beyond its limits, and as I got better at riding and working on the thing I upgraded parts as I could afford and figured out why those parts are better. After 10+ years on that, I could afford a full suspension bike. I knew what I needed and what parts would fall into the diminishing returns realm. I've been riding it for 5 years and have made some small upgrades (and had to replace a few parts) but I regularly blow the socks off riders on 2-3x more expensive bikes. My bike does have limitations and if I could afford it I would have maybe 2 more, but as an all around bike and someone who rides all sorts of terrain it gets the job done just fine. I've also had friends who bought expensive carbon bikes when they're starting out and once they realized that skills are much more important than the bike have regretted spending so much.

by nlh 3y ago

jhot 3y ago

Similar experience with mountain biking for me. In college I bought a $600 hardtail because that was my budget. Didn't know or care that it had a coil fork and mechanical disks instead of air fork and hydraulic brakes. And at the time it didn't matter. I rode that thing well beyond its limits, and as I got better at riding and working on the thing I upgraded parts as I could afford and figured out why those parts are better. After 10+ years on that, I could afford a full suspension bike. I knew what I needed and what parts would fall into the diminishing returns realm. I've been riding it for 5 years and have made some small upgrades (and had to replace a few parts) but I regularly blow the socks off riders on 2-3x more expensive bikes. My bike does have limitations and if I could afford it I would have maybe 2 more, but as an all around bike and someone who rides all sorts of terrain it gets the job done just fine. I've also had friends who bought expensive carbon bikes when they're starting out and once they realized that skills are much more important than the bike have regretted spending so much.