Me and my bike

[jjohnwm]

Holy crap! Even at that "bargain" price, 2465 farthings or whatever they are called translates to almost $4100 Canadian! That is a bit more than I paid for my last motorcycle...a brand-new 750cc Kawasaki...which, I suppose, tells you how long ago that was.

Yes, I am thrifty but there are certain luxury toys the purchase of which I manage to rationalize...like a quality hunting rifle...although I usually buy used, mostly from people who have more money than brains, and whose appetite for precision and power exceeds their tolerance for recoil.

 

[FJB]

That is a beautiful bike! Congrats. Expensive too, but so they are.
I am a commuter-to-work biker myself, 18+ mile daily (9.2 each way). My bike is nowhere as nice, but it does the job.
I have another, a nice one (classical italian road bike) that I only use for long hauls, such as the Cancer ride every year.

 

[esoxlucius]

That is a beautiful bike! Congrats. Expensive too, but so they are.
I am a commuter-to-work biker myself, 18+ mile daily (9.2 each way). My bike is nowhere as nice, but it does the job.
I have another, a nice one (classical italian road bike) that I only use for long hauls, such as the Cancer ride every year.

You must be quite fit then, because 18 miles daily isn't to be sniffed at.

You don't need anything fancy to enjoy bike riding. But I've been doing it for so long now, and in all that time I've only ever treated myself to mid range type new bikes, still good, but nothing like my new one.

 

[jjohnwm]

... I've been doing it for so long now, and in all that time I've only ever treated myself to mid range type new bikes, still good, but nothing like my new one.

Good for you! It's always nice to see high-quality, high-end stuff being properly appreciated by enthusiast owners who understand what they've got. Too many of the expensive toys out there are owned by people who have more money than brains; they think that spending money can replace hands-on experience and skill. They buy all the latest and greatest goodies...putz around with the stuff for a few weeks or months, maybe years...and then decide that something completely different might appeal to them more. They sell the stuff off at a loss, sometimes in virtually unused condition, and move on to their next fleeting interest.

Of course, I'm not complaining; I take advantage of deals like that to obtain some wonderful goodies for which I would balk at paying full retail. Gotta love those dilettantes!

 

[ken31cay]

In all my decades of riding bikes I've never had a bad crash. I consider myself very very fortunate. I've had a few near misses over the years, it can get quite scary at times.

The only dodgy instance I had, a real comedy moment actually, very embarrassing for me, was when I first started using clip on pedals.

For those who don't know what they are it's a system that ensures you are actually attached to your bike via the pedals! It ensures you get maximum power from not only the downstroke of the pedal, but the upward stroke too.

Anyway, when you stop you need to "clip out" so you can put your foot on the ground. And if you forget to clip out, and you stop, well, you have a very embarrassing comedy moment, as I once experienced, you just fall sideways still attached to your bike!! Lol.

Needless to say, this only ever happens once, usually, because once you've been through the experience you tend never ever ever forget to clip out again, lol.

The incident that happened to me, I literally saw my life flash before me. Afterward I thought about my wife and my kids, and thought that as much as I love cycling it just wasn't worth it to me anymore. Now I go to the gym five times a week.

 

[fishhead0103666]

how do you guys like to relax and maintain a good state of mental health?

That’s the thing, you don’t have to maintain a good state of mental health if you never had one in the first place , the only other thing besides fish keeping that helps me after work is trying to complete my Pokémon games

 

[ken31cay]

Do you realize what a terrific hunting rifle you could get for that kind of money???

Lol Hunting is one thing that I've never done but now I wish I had. I lived in Minnesota for some years and my wife at the time's uncles used go deer hunting and bring us venison meat, sausages, etc.

 

[esoxlucius]

They sell the stuff off at a loss, sometimes in virtually unused condition, and move on to their next fleeting interest.

Very true. The phrase, "more money than sense" immediately springs to mind.

That’s the thing, you don’t have to maintain a good state of mental health if you never had one in the first place

Consider yourself very lucky Brian that mental health issues have never darkened your door, I know I do. Some people aren't so lucky.

 

[jjohnwm]

Lol Hunting is one thing that I've never done but now I wish I had. I lived in Minnesota for some years and my wife at the time's uncles used go deer hunting and bring us venison meat, sausages, etc.

It's never too late to start. The location shown for you isn't exactly a hunting paradise, true. Do you have perhaps some waterfowl hunting locally, or some sort of small game? Wild pigs, maybe?

And, assuming that you have somewhere locally that you can safely and legally develop the required marksmanship skills, whether it be with rifle, shotgun, archery tackle, etc...there are always exotic guided hunts to dream about.

Setting one's dinner table with vegetables from your garden alongside venison...which originally meant "meat from the hunt", i.e. game meat, not just deer meat...is supremely satisfying. And, as the father of one of my childhood hunting buddies used to say, "If you hunt with your kids, you'll never need to hunt for your kids".

 

[FINWIN]

There are some "jobs" in your post that most wouldn't find relaxing at all, such as chopping wood and digging ditches, but I'm completely with you on that. I love chopping kindling in my back yard. There's something almost therapeutic about chopping wood, and burning it in my woodburner is extremely satisfactory too, especially when it's freezing outside. I challenge myself to get all the sticks as uniform as possible, like soldiers lined up, lol.

I suppose it doesn't matter what floats your boat relaxation wise. It's all about taking your mind away and focusing on something else that matters.

I think we all have a good blend here. Keep sane guys!!

Here's a picture of my wood, just for you jjohnwm !! Lol.

View attachment 1519187

Biggest toothpicks I evuh seen!