I wasn't into bikes. I mean, I had a few bikes when I was a kid and got a bike when I got out of the Army; but it wasn't any love affair with the bikes at all. I used to be really into guitar and bass gear. And then really into stereo gear, then into old stereo gear. When I got into bikes- it was an extension of how dorky I was into guitars; I got interested in what the bike was- what makes a good bike vs a not so good bike, what was the frame, why you differentiate the frame, fork and stays, why good parts are good and what makes bad parts bad... For me, there's no nostalgic look backwards. I have no interest in bike racing or former or current racers. I pretty much have no interest in racing bikes. I sort of had a focus- I thought my bike, a 1987 Schwinn High Sierra, was cooler than all get out. Based on that, I started learning about 80s ATBs and what made them cool, and how my bike embodied those traits. I guess it's the 'ATB' aspect that appealed to me- the adventure, and then I realized how many of those same traits are a part of touring bikes... either looking at it as a tourer is a more elegant ATB, or ATBs are the burlier cousins of tourers. And to this day, I look at the upper level touring bikes and seeing the long graceful lines- and the balance between premium tube sets and the need to carry a lot of weight long distances and the durability of both the frame and parts to function with that weight, to steer, stop, shift with a load... the balance of elegance and business. That's cool to me. From that point, it's getting dorky about components and what I think is cool, what I think is useful to my own particular... ...idiom. In the past 5 years I've strayed from the 70s/80s/early 90s interest area- and I figured out how much nicer it is having 10 speeds in the back rather than just 6- but I still prefer the aesthetic of 70s and 80s frames and components.

As far as why I have so many bikes... I fell in love with the look and colors of the 1986 Trek 400 Elance. In all honesty- at the time I didn't think I would ever be able to find or afford my dream bikes (1985 Trek 620 or 720). Eventually, I overpaid and acquired my 620 and then it became about trying out different things... and then not moving them on. Someday I'd love to get a custom- but it's not necessary and I don't sit around and daydream about it like I do about riding across the country.

When I was a kid, I was into guitars, basses and amps. I always had a stable of 3-4 guitars and 2-3 basses. When one came in, one went out. In the early 90s I was trading guitars every 2 weeks or so. Sometime in the late 90s I think there was a combination of I was more busy playing bass so less interest in guitars and "old" guitars became "vintage" guitars and things I'd been picking up for $400 were suddenly $900 or $1200. As far as my amps... I had a Marshall half stack, I traded the head around a few times and ended up with one I really liked. By the mid 90s, I wanted that ultra-high gain sound- like a Mesa Dual Rec or a Soldano- and the Marshall wouldn't do that. At the time, no one would give me a decent trade in price for my Marshall... Eventually I just gave up on it. At some point in the early 2000s I realized just how good my Marshall sounded. I effing love that amp. But these days, when you show up with a half stack, the sound guy looks at you all side eyed. I'm mostly a bass player these days- I've got a stable of cool basses, but I'd love to get another, more modern short scale- and I'd love to get some modern lightweight amps and cabs- my lightest cab is 90 pounds. But, I'm pretty happy with my bass gear.

As far as my stereo gear... I had my 80s Yamaha/Bose setup. Replaced the receiver around and ended up with a surround unit- and that was fine for me. Sometime in the mid 00s someone gave me an early 70s Pioneer SX-838. It wasn't a top of the line unit at the time, it had not been serviced in decades and it was only 50w. But that thing sounded SO much better than my fancy pants, high wattage surround unit. At that point, I went looking for "better." I acquired a Sanui 9090DB, a Pioneer SX-1250, a Marantz 2325 and a Marantz 2238. Nothing sounded "better" than the 838. I've really stopped chasing it. Ten years ago or so, I sort of wanted to get some McIntosh gear- but that ship has sailed due to prices because of interest in "vintage" stereo gear. I'm sort of looking for a better CD player than the ones I have and need to get some speakers repaired but I think I've got a pretty kickass stereo setup.

So, the short answer is- if you're looking for something "more," whether real or imagined- it's never over. If you come to a point where you're OK with your stuff- you don't need to chase it any longer.


Untitled by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Stereo April 2020 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr