I just saw this thread... where've I been, dunno...but one thing strikes me.

I remember as a teen, I rode the 10-speed, skinny-tired Schwinn, enjoying it, having no issues. Got away from riding (tried and failed multiple times to recapture it) until I was 40. Fat tires did it then, and as I got more years on me, suspension. For about 7 years now, skinny tires have been off the radar, as they just don't work for me. Subsequently, centuries are also gone. (I WON'T be doing a 'C' on a 30+-lb MTB!)

But that has been an irrelevant point, as I've enjoyed the ride as much (and sometimes more) as I ever did; and since the bike is more capable, I have more fun trying things I couldn't do before.

No one else can tell you WHERE your "niche of joy" is, you have to find that yourself. If something isn't working, you try something else. Only a nut or a fool tries to get a different result from doing the same thing over and over.