Advice

I hate it, hate it, when someone asks me what bike (or car, or mail order bride) they should buy. Not because I am annoyed by the question, but because no one wants to hear what I actually think. I could go on for days on the subject. Yes, I am a huge nerd, obviously. But no one wants to hear that. No one wants to discuss the benefits of a cyclocross bike versus a flat bar commuter for an urban rider. No one cares if a bike is better for crit racing versus centuries. No one wants to hear about $10,000 handbuilt magnesium carbon frames with a 94 year wait list that are lovingly crafted by a blind man in the mountains of West Virginia who decides the geometry based on your shoe size and birth sign (come to think of it, I don't really want to hear about those either). They just want to be told "buy a trek (or specialized or felt, or, sometimes, strangely, a scattante)". The same way people's eyes glaze over when I delve into the amazing utility and speed of an Audi RS6 Wagon. They want to be told to buy a 3 series, or an Accord. And yes, I could just buckle, attempt to hide my nerdiness (an almost insurmountable task) and give them a pat answer: "Buy a Felt Z series" But I just cannot bring myself to do it. I refuse to buy into the marketing that there is a great "do it all" bike or car. I want the right tool for the job, and everyone else should too. To settle on anything less is to give into complacency and mediocrity. On the other hand, to approach it with my mentality you end up with 6 bikes and 3 cars, but sometimes there is a price for having high standards. Now I need to go search for an cyclocross unicycle, I never know when I might need it. Oh, and the best mail order brides are from southeastern Latvia.