Rode MTB from age 14-18 until I got fed up of breaking stuff all the time - mainly folding LOTS of Mavic 217 and even 121 back wheels, ripped a couple of headtubes off bikes, snapped some forks, bent bars, pedals etc by basically trying to ride a LOT of street on an MTB... gaps, wallrides, twists etc Jez Avery, Martyn Ashton, Hans Ray and the likes were HUGE influencers at the time... until I realized I needed a BMX haha!! MTB was also changing a lot then, seemed oddball stuff coming out, styling I found to be a bit strange too.
In 97-98 I started switching over to a heavy as f**k small wheels (Hoffman Deebo, this was also about the time Props Road Fools VHS was born) as a lip trick coping jockey and street rider, these were by far my best years riding - when I could manual for a LONG way and fakie out of pretty much anything at any speed... then came along girls, cars, vodka, parties and quite a few more good years lol... I re-entered the world of bikes (MTB) back in around 2011 and have been here ever since
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Quite which genre of cycling I sit in I'm not sure, I wouldn't actually say i've EVER been a full-blown offroader - I love a lot of variety, finding I make more and more use of the gravel bike but still do love to try and act 10 years younger on my modern full-bounce.
The Retro fleet does get use, mainly tarmac/light gravel, down by the river, along the canals, croozing kinda business but nothing more than that - anyone trying to say that modern bikes perform just as well as older ones is plain crackers, not to take anything away from my Retros - they are things of beauty, i've spent ages hunting down the parts, restoring them etc - I don't want to abuse them!