My first real bike was a Cindercone (metallic khaki-ish green - 89? 90?), that got stolen and replaced with some saving by an 1992 Explosif Pro in a sell-off at the end of the year (got it for £700 from an LBS after price matching a national but without noticing or being told they or Kona took the ti bar off which is grrr now I check the catalogue). Upgraded it to maggies and some bits and pieces, a couple of repaints. Anyway, that lasted me until 2000, loved that thing. Never got into suspension, loved the directness. Moved to London in 1997 and the off-road died off around 1999 but it was my transport day to day for almost a decade (prolonged student life). Then more and more and bits started to fail with use, when I got a salary I ordered what I thought was my dream bike rather than repairing further - a Roberts dogs etc, lots of lovely parts. Rode it a couple of times, and fell out of love with bicycles, it felt so dead and boring, cumbersome and slow. Even the disk brakes (hope m2) were worse than the maggies I had put on the Kona.
Then I snapped one of my achilles - complete rupture - and I left bikes alone until about two years ago when I needed to keep up with my son on his. The Roberts seems ok to me now as a fat old bstard. At the same time while I am not riding in anything near the same way I did it then, it still has a more lazy feeling than I still expect/like/feel comfortable with.
My Kona is still in bits in the cellar somewhere and has to be revived. Stick with it, it won't kill you - it will reward you. Same reason, I would love to try Yo Eddy and other out of reach (for me) things at the time.
Then I snapped one of my achilles - complete rupture - and I left bikes alone until about two years ago when I needed to keep up with my son on his. The Roberts seems ok to me now as a fat old bstard. At the same time while I am not riding in anything near the same way I did it then, it still has a more lazy feeling than I still expect/like/feel comfortable with.
My Kona is still in bits in the cellar somewhere and has to be revived. Stick with it, it won't kill you - it will reward you. Same reason, I would love to try Yo Eddy and other out of reach (for me) things at the time.
