I'm 28, and got into C&V about 2 or so years ago while I was in grad school. I've always been kind of "behind the times" so to speak (for example, I still prefer to have to blow into the cartridges before I play my video games), so C&V just fits my lifestyle. I've rode quite a few newer bikes, but imo, they just don't have the soul that older bikes do. I've had about 12 different rides in the last 2 years and each one of them is different. From a no-complaints Trek, to a tank of a Fuji that could take all comers, all the way up to my current Carlton Raleigh that's as finicky as can be. They've all got a personality to contend with--a life before me, and if I treat them right, a life after me when they move on to the next rider. Plus there's all the history, not just of the makers and marques, but of the sport itself. For someone like me, who can spend hours with his nose in a book, C&V is perfect--you can just get lost in it in the best possible way.