Twenty Years
 

Twenty years ago I logged into Bike Forums for the first time. Back then whenever you searched for any information regarding bicycles threads from bike forums are what came up. I met a TON of people from here in real life. We organized rides, meet ups, clubs/groups, etc. Eventually most of us moved on to other social media platforms. I am good friends with many of them still to this day. We lost a few on the way. When I lost my job during the '08 downturn it was users here that started me down the road of doing bike work for money. When I tried to come up with a domain name every thing I thought of was taken. I knew one that wasn't - my screen name here. PSIMET, LLC was born. Since then we have made thousands of wheels, sponsored scores of riders and teams, have created a (at times) large and influential team team in the Chicagoland area. We have put on something like between 30 and 40 races. The team celebrates its 16th season this year. 2 months before the pandemic kicked off I bought Enzo's Cycling Products and took over ButtonHole Chamois Cream.

I've watched a friend from here go from being a college kid to running the current cycling media empire (Fretz). I've watched some kids try their dreams of making it into the pros and go from that to being family men. Bike Forums has played the "6 degrees of separation with kevin Bacon" game for the cycling industry. A lot of us know each other because of here. Those relationships have led to many introductions and eventual marriages, businesses, and lifelong friendships.

I really wanted to post in here and reflect on some of this. This place truly has been a jewel over the years. So thank you to all who have been in and out over the years and been a part of the journey. I'll try and make it back to past in here again for the 40th anniversary.

Cheers Rob. Happy to still see some active members of the community still posting on BF. I purchased a set of PSIMET built wheels (kinlin to DT Swiss I believe) about 15 year ago - great wheels. Unfortunately the bike they were on was stolen.

When I joined BF I was a collegiate racer. Now I am a Master's racer with a family, a career, and am a community volunteer - with the San Diego Bicycle Club and even a little bit on Bikeforums :). There's a reason I've stuck around all this time

I lost my original login from years back, so I don't know when I first joined.

If there are two websites that will truly go down in bicycling history / folklore it's Bike Forums and of course Sheldon Brown's Bike Tech Info.

nice tributes! :thumb:

:bday:

And thanks for the psimet wheels. Love them!!

I've always appreciated your posts. Especially your 'tip of the day' thread which was probably started about when you first joined.

:beer:

Ya know it's been 21 years for me. Seems like only yesterday. I realized earlier that it's now been 20 years since my last century ride, in 2006. Maybe someday this year if I feel good and get in enough base miles. But I thought that last year. rode in excess of 5000 miles and was not "ready".

20 years sure did go by fast, didn't it!! Hope the next 20 takes longer to go by, tho it seems the opposite is happening.

July marks 20 for me as well. Amazing how fast time flies. My kids were young, now they are in their 30's, still married to the same lovely woman, I married 39 year ago.

I hadn’t ridden a century in over 22 years but decided to give it a go last summer. (I too did in excess of 5000). My approach was to take lots of food, extra baggies with powdered energy drink for bottle refills and most importantly, to keep my average speed about 2 MPH slower than average. I also made myself stop every 20 miles for a 5 minute break. It worked out really well and after 100, still had enough energy to keep going, but what was the point? You can do it to with a bit of planning, rest, proper hydration and food. Go get it!

Good to hear from you, Rob. Feel free to drop in more often.

I also appreciate all the complimentary remarks about Bike Forums. I like to feel that over the years the team and I have been at least partially responsible for the forum's success.

It's too bad that I didn't re-start riding twenty years ago instead of five. It's been twenty years since we bought our house here in NM. They've been great years, although sometimes trying. The pandemic got me riding again - I'd been meaning to, but realized I may not get another chance. I'll be lucky to get another twenty years, but riding has greatly increased the chances, I believe. And my 78-year-old wife just started a new job as a home health aide, is loving it, and bought herself a red Miata convertible! How fantastically aspirational, after surviving cancer and bleeding ulcers that almost killed her, she's going strong again, and feeling better for it. Twenty years is a lot longer when you're twenty than when you're sixty-seven...

You made me realize, I'm almost at 20 years myself (2 months away). I have also met and ridden with many people, had many great discussions, given and gotten tons of advice, and even had a few... "disagreements". Cheers!

Sorry, but no gold watch or chain for 20 years. Hang in here another 5 and we’ll see what we can do.

:beer:

Same here, while my re-start was in 2023.

That I lived for 37 years a bit north of you Psimet2001 up in Algonquin, and fairly often used the Fox River path (old, re-purposed C&NW right of way) to get down as far as US Rt 20 a few times before we moved in 2013 dismays me!

Had I know of this BF forum back at its start, we might have become riding companions!

Uh oh... so it's not just me coming 'round to that realization, eh? Dang....

"No you didn't"

;):lol:
Cheers!

My shop has been in East Dundee since 2014. I bought out the old Bicycle Garage shop that was there on the Fox River Trail in East Dundee just across the street from Banditos and next to Dairy Queen. We moved down the road in 2021 but I still ride the Fox Rive Trail North from my old shop to Crystal Lake as my standard ride.

20 years seems like a short time from my perspective. And nearly 7 since I retired has been a blink of an eye.

Lots of different characters have come and gone on the forum, just like at the road club I have been with for 37 years. Rob has been a source on information, an industry insider, and seemingly a good guy, though I've never met him.

Just logged on for the first time in years and came across this thread - how ironic, will be 20 in May for me. Was off the bike for several years for a variety of "life happens" reasons, but retirement, a move across the country, and a persistent neighbor who rides and found out about my former obsession have combined to get me back on the bike.

Here's to another 20!
:beer:

Hopefully there's a Masters 80 class out there to train for...:lol:

Dang. Closer yet!

2014... that was the year I spent 'commuting' between house I was going to sell in Algonquin and the new (to us) we'd bought up here in the Driftless Region. Awful winter that was, 2013-14. I put 10,000 miles on my car in eight months.

Illinois house was just east of the street paralleling the path (split rail cedar fence across the front), 2nd address south of Souwanis Trail where Algonquin city limits and McHenry County begins. We bought that place in 1977, I spent years 'rebuilding' it into something more livable year-round while I commuted into Chicago for paying work.

I've ridden that path up as far as McHenry to the north, as far south as US 20. I'd have to guess the total elevation's maybe what, 200'? Terrain's different here, I can get in 2,200' in 25 miles in a couple of hours.

Small world indeed....

congrats on your 20 years:thumb:And here is many more for the next 20 years :beer: I am since 13 years on that board. Got really into the bike hobby back in 2019-2020 even though road bike racing had been part of my live between 1996-1999 before my accident,I had a lot of interesting interactions and discussions here.

Driftless is awesome. I go up and ride up there whenever I can. My son (who was born 2 months after I started here) is at school in Platteville. He refuses to ride anymore because I made him race the whole time he was growing up.

I know the house well that you are referring to I think. The one on the corner there has been massively renovated within the last 5 or so years. Either just before or during the pandemic.

The path I have ridden into Wisconsin many times. I used to commute from Elgin to Aurora on it. I often ride it down to Aurora then out to Waubonse college on the Gilman trail. We often have a group ride that starts at the Gail Borden in Elgin and goes south to Winfield on the prairie path then turns west along the Geneva Spur - back to the Fox River trail and back up to Elgin - not before stopping at Pollyanna in St Chucks. I've ridden just about any variant I can. I get to the Des Plaines River Trial every now and then. Also some of the mtb trails from Raceway to Paul Douglas to Palos. Waterfall Glen, etc. If you add all of those rides up I think I might have a total of 300 ft of climbing here locally. :lol:

I found myself moving across the country with not a lot of social connection, and BF was there. Such a great community and getting to meet a handful in person was fantastic. 20 years is a blip and forever at the same time. :cheers: all