Evan bought me a new bike. Ok, actually it's an old bike, but it's new to me. It's a Schwinn High Sierra from the 80s that he picked up for $50 from some guy who walked into the shop looking to sell.
While it's not going to set any speed records or take me down super-gnarly singletrack, it's a pretty sweet, fun bike. With a little bit of TLC, it'll be perfect.
I brought it along to Lancaster last week for a bike expo event that Evan, Jake, and I went to, and used it as transport around town and to explore the local trails.
It was a pretty humbling ride. I think that many of us as cyclists think about equipment a little too much, myself included. Will that bike be just a little bit lighter? Will those tires make me faster? We need the latest, greatest, best.
But at the end of the day, it's all just about riding bikes, isn't it?
I had a lot more fun tooling around on that High Sierra than I did during the bike demo trying out all the latest, greatest, best.
It doesn't matter what bike you have. Just have fun. Let go of the need to be fast. Look around. Laugh with friends. Explore new places. Learn how to be a beginner again. Stop comparing yourself to anyone else. Enjoy the ride.
I totally agree with ya! It's not the bike, it's the ride.
But I will say that those old mid-80's Schwinn MTBs are pretty sweet bikes. A lot of those old MTBs are great. I've owned a Raleigh Crested Butte from the same era and it's lots of fun.
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